


The Descendant's Legacy

by Delirious_Comfort



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, Hurt, Possible Character Death, Romance, Survival, Wilderness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2018-05-02 07:20:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5239586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delirious_Comfort/pseuds/Delirious_Comfort
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thrill seeker and survival expert Emma Swan signs up for The Alaskan Experience: the world's toughest survival competition. Aside from having to survive the Alaskan wildlife, and extreme nature conditions, there is one other complication that will put Emma's survival skills to the test: her rival, Regina Mills, enters the competition.  Swan Queen. Rated M for later chapters. (TW: There may a major character death. There may not be. Let's find out, shall we?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been in the back of my mind for quite some time. I started writing it for NaNoWriMo and I just couldn't wait any longer, I wanted to share it with you guys. This is going to be quite a ride and I hope you'll be right along with me for it! You can find me on Tumblr as delirious-comfort, on FB as Delirious Comfort and on Twitter as Delirious_aj. (If you're reading Shadow Haven as well, I'm updating it right after this one... Well, give me a few hours!)

 

 

" _And while the law of competition may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it ensures the survival of the fittest in every department."_

_– Andrew Carnegie_

**Chapter 1**

"Are you out of your mind?"

Emma grinned at the light squeak in August's voice, and shook her head as she uncovered another piece of the map. "Come on. Look at it."

"I am! I'm not doing this, Emma... You're out of your mind. That's 3500 miles of the shittiest terrain, and the most extreme weather we've  _ever_  encountered."

"I know!" Emma enthusiastically said as she pointed to the map with a finger. "There.  _That's_ where we're going." She sat back down on her chair, folded her arms behind her head, and promptly put her feet on the table as she leaned back. An eyebrow lifted itself up as she looked at August and with a wicked grin added, "We're going to Alaska."

She smirked when he sat down with a deflated sigh and defensively put up his hands. "I know you're worried, but this is what I've been training for my entire life. I can do this."

August rolled his eyes as he leaned forward in his chair, "I know you can. The question is, can I?"

"Of course you can. You have me, I won't let anything happen to you. We can do this. Together."

"How long would we be gone?"

Emma frowned as she leaned forward to grab her laptop. She furiously typed away once her web browser had opened, biting on her lip as her eyes scanned over the page. "Six weeks."

"Emma!"

"I know, I know, but I mean... It's not like we've never been gone this long before. Besides, if we get thrown out of the competition on the first leg, we'd be home within the first week."

"Let me guess, you have no intention of being thrown out of the competition," August sighed. "Emma, I don't know about this. I'd have to talk to Matthew about it." He was quiet for a long time before softly adding, "What about Henry?"

"He'll understand," Emma said with a dismissive shrug. "I'm sure he'd love to spend some time with his aunt."

"I'm sure he'd love to spend some time with you as well," he carefully suggested. "You just got back three weeks ago and now you're off again? For six weeks?"

"I'll make it up to him when I get back. I always do."

August sighed. It was an action he seemed to repeat around Emma a lot. He knew she was strong-willed, stubborn as a mule, but... Even he had to admit that if anyone could win this competition, it would be her. "Fine, I'll talk to Matthew. I'll let you know. I should go, if I want him to agree to this, the least I can do is be home in time for dinner."

"Hmm?" Emma murmured as she briefly looked up from her screen. "Oh yeah. Give Matthew my love and all that."

August rolled his eyes, "Will do. Are you at least going to see me out?"

Emma scoffed, "In all the years I've known you, I've never done that, I'm not gonna start now." She shot him a toothy grin and waved him off with a hand, "Oh, August?" She casually said as he opened the door.

"Yeah?"

"We leave in two days."

* * *

Emma sighed as she softly closed Henry's bedroom door behind her. She had planned on telling him as soon as he got home from school, but his foul mood quickly put a stop to that. Instead, she made him his favorite dinner and curled up with him on the couch as they watched his favorite movie. That had seemed to improve his mood somewhat and when he had started rubbing his eyes, she had sent him off to bed.

Her little boy wasn't so little anymore, and his new found independence was something she had difficulty adjusting to. He had started insisting that he could go to bed on his own about two months ago. While he usually pretended to be asleep, she knew he still couldn't sleep until she gently kissed the top of his head, before wishing him sweet dreams. It was a ritual that she immensely missed whenever she wasn't home.

She settled herself behind the laptop once more and her hands closed around the warm mug as she took a careful sip of the hot chocolate. Telling Henry that she would be gone for six weeks wasn't something she was looking forward to. Fair enough, compared to a lot of other nine-year-olds, he was usually very understanding, but whenever she informed him of her plans she would always see the brief flash of hurt in his eyes before it disappeared.

She needed this though, needed the escape like she needed air to breathe. Whenever she was in the city, there was always this dreadful feeling; as if danger lurked right around the corner, waiting for it's moment to pounce on her. It was a dreadful fear that was always in the back of her mind as she ventured out in the city; her eyes warily glancing at every person she encountered, her breathing more rapid and her heart palpating as she quickly made her way down the streets of Boston.

Some days she wondered where her fear originated from. It wasn't as if anything bad had ever happened to her. Just like any other person she had her ups and downs in life, but compared to some of the stories she saw on the news, her life was... well... her life. There was no other way she could describe it.

Her childhood was one she'd rather forget about, but sometimes Henry would question her about it, and she'd answer truthfully. There were no skeletons in her closet, Emma thought as she sighed and inhaled sharply.

That wasn't  _exactly_ true. There was one skeleton in her closet that she had buried so deep, that whenever the memory came back to her, the hairs in the back of her neck would stand up straight and she would shiver.

Her skeleton had a name.

Her skeleton had given her a son.

Her skeleton had  _died_ because  _she_ couldn't save him.

Her skeleton was now...  _literally_ that... A skeleton.

Her eyes closed as she took a shaky breath and willed the memory from her mind. Everyone knew Neal had died when Henry was two-years-old. But the intimate details of  _how_  he had died... Those belonged solely to her, and they weren't details she was eager to share with anyone. His death had been painful, unexpected, and still haunted her in her dreams after a particularly stressful day.

Being out in nature was something that consoled her which, truthfully, had surprised her. After Neal's death she didn't think she could ever return to the wilderness, but there was something about being out in nature that gave her a peace of mind. The moment the soft breeze grazed her skin was the moment she dropped the heavy weight on her shoulders, and the further she'd ascent into the mountains, the calmer she became.

A smile spread on her face as she thought of the competition that had been her latest obsession.  _The Alaskan Experience_  had been called to life three years ago and the moment she heard about it - was the moment she decided  _she_  was going to  _win_  it. August and her had conquered many mountains and endured the toughest weather conditions, but compared to what was now ahead of them, those circumstances were nothing.

Entering this competition meant they would have to endure 3500 miles of the toughest and roughest landscape, the most extreme weather and the wildlife that resided in Alaska. She wasn't looking forward to  _that_. After encountering her first wild bear a couple of years ago, she had grown fearful of them. The claw marks on tree trunks had been terrifying enough for her to do some extensive research on how to behave during an encounter and that information was always in the back of her mind when she was out in nature.

She pulled the laptop closer and opened the webpage once more, and with a gleam in her eyes she read over the words that excited her to no end.

_The Alaskan Experience. A survival competition for only the toughest survivalists. Are you brave and strong enough to take on the challenge? Does your adrenaline start pumping at the thought of conquering 3500 miles of the roughest landscapes? Do extreme weather conditions entice you? This competition isn't for the faint of heart, only the fiercest competitors will survive._

To say that her adrenaline started pumping at the thought of that was a gross understatement. She had followed the competition for the last three years, trained every day to make herself as strong as possible, and more importantly: watched her competition, learned their strengths and weaknesses.

She knew exactly who would be entering the competition: Regina Mills. A growl settled itself in her throat as she thought of the brunette. Regina was a fierce competitor and her biggest rival, she had known that from the moment the woman had signed up for a competition that had only ever been attempted by men - and  _won_.

The first time she met Regina they had gotten off on the wrong foot. Emma had introduced herself and Regina had pretty much dismissed her, which in return had Emma growl out an insult that hadn't gone unnoticed by the brunette. Ever since that encounter, whenever they ran into each other, the tension in the room could be cut by a knife. Even worse, Henry  _loved_  Regina. He had some kind of hero worship going on whenever he was around her and Emma absolutely hated it.

Her eyes closed as she mentally checked off the people she thought would be entering. Jason and Mark were brothers, they were good, but she was better, she wasn't too worried about them. They entered competitions for the thrills off it, but they weren't fierce enough to win it.

No, her real competitors were Samuel, Tom, Regina and Kayla. Samuel and Tom were a father and son team. Together they had won competitions all over the country and Samuel's survival skills were superb. Tom was an engineer and Emma had never seen a man more in shape than him. She liked them though, they were always nice to her and Samuel had helped Emma a great deal on several occasions, always eager to answer her questions. Still, liking them wasn't going to stop her from beating them in this competition.

Regina and Kayla were the dream team in the eyes of the public that kept track of survivalists. Not so much in Emma's eyes though. Her hatred for Regina was nothing compared to the loathing she felt for Kayla though. She was a stuck-up bitch who considered herself to be the greatest person in the world and from what Emma could tell, she was behind the wheel of every decision Regina and Kayla made. She wasn't a survivalist, Kayla's day job consisted of working in the corporation owned by Cora Mills, Regina's mother. But wherever Regina was, Kayla was right behind her and it drove Emma mad.

She had only spoken to the woman once and when Kayla's head had tilted up as if she just had a whiff of something that smelled particularly vile, Emma decided Kayla was on her shit-list. Henry didn't seem very fond of Kayla either and he was generally a good judge of character... Well, aside from his fondness for Regina Mills.

With a heavy sigh she closed the laptop and rinsed her mug in the sink before making her way to her bedroom. She was in need of a long night's sleep, and after checking on Henry one last time, and brushing her teeth, she crawled into bed.

Images of mountains covered by thick layers of snow and green forests invaded her mind, and a smile spread on her face. Tomorrow she would call her sister to ask if she could look after Henry for a while... Her smile faltered as she thought of the little boy that would no doubted be disappointed that she would be leaving so soon again. It wasn't a conversation she was looking forward to, but one that needed to be done regardless. Worrying about it could wait until tomorrow though, for now... She would dream of the adventure that lay ahead of her.

* * *

"Mom!"

Emma groaned as she rolled over, it was way too early for Henry to be awake, and most definitely way too early for her to start the day. "What," she mumbled as she pulled the covers up to her chin. She couldn't help but smile when the covers lifted up and the bed squeaked as Henry lay down next to her.

"Hi."

She peeked through one eye and grinned, "Hey."

"Mom..." Henry excitedly said as he poked her stomach with a finger. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"Nooo," he whined. "You have to guess!"

"Hmm, you have the best mom in the whole wide world and you love her to death," Emma guessed. The groan coming from her brown-haired boy told her that wasn't exactly what he had been going for.

"Nope, guess again."

"You're hungry and you want pancakes." This was her son, she knew him well. Pancakes were his favorite breakfast and seeing how it was the weekend, it would most definitely be one of his demands.

"Yes, but that's not it either."

Emma frowned until realization dawned on her and she looked at him with wide open eyes. "Shit," she mumbled as she sat up straight. A pang of guilt seared through her body as Henry's smile faltered and was replaced by something she never wished to see on his face again.

"You forgot," he said with a slight tremble in his voice.

"I'm sorry, I've been so preoccupied... That's no excuse though. Forgive me?" She laid back down and tickled his face with her fingers as she softly starting singing, off key of course. "Happy birthday, kid," she said after Henry winced at the high-pitched tones coming from her mouth. "How old are you now?"

"You forgot that too?"

She almost wanted to say yes until she saw the glistening in his eyes and softly shook her head. She wrapped her arms around him, and kissed the back of his head. "I could never forget that. You are ten-years-old today. Have I ever told you about the day you were born?"

Henry rolled his eyes before grinning, "Only every birthday I've ever had."

Emma laughed, "And you've had so many. You're not so little anymore, Kid. Remember what the nurse told me when you were born?"

Henry chuckled and the sound was music to Emma's ears. He tried to lower his voice somewhat and whispered, "Ten toes and eleven fingers, you have a healthy little boy, Emma."

Emma grinned, "That's right. The nurse thought she was being funny, your dad got a good chuckle out of that. Can you imagine how different your life would have been if you had eleven fingers?"

Henry frowned as he thought about that question, "I would be super good at tickling you."

"That you would be. I'm sorry I forgot your birthday, Kid. That was rude of me. Luckily for you, I remembered to buy you a present weeks ago."

He rolled over and his eyes grew wide, "You got me a present?"

"Of course!" Emma exclaimed. She nodded towards the dresser in the corner of the room. "Top drawer. Careful though, it might bite you."

Henry frowned as he threw off the covers and quickly made his way over to the dresser. Emma smiled as he carefully opened the top drawer and grabbed the package that lay on top of a pile of clothes. He turned around and smiled, "Thank you for my present, Mom. I love it."

Emma laughed and sat up straight in bed and motioned for him to come over. He crawled on top of the bed, sitting down on his knees next to her. "Can I open it?"

"Well, I'm not sure. I bought you something that is only for big boys. Are you a big boy?" She smiled when he nodded, "Go on then. Open it."

He carefully unwrapped the paper and Emma looked at him proudly. Telling him that she would be leaving tomorrow wasn't exactly the gift she wanted to give him on his birthday, and she mentally scolded herself for forgetting that it was his birthday in the first place.

The little gasp interrupted her train of thought, "Is that for real, Mom?"

"Absolutely."

"Wow..." He looked up at her and smiled. "Thank you, I love it."

"You're very welcome, my little super nerd. Happy birthday." She had bought him a signed copy of one of his favorite comics. It hadn't been the most expensive gift, but she knew that didn't matter to him anyway. Her son was all about sentimental gifts, and judging by the look on his face as he flipped through the pages, she had chosen well.

"Henry?"

"Yeah?" he mumbled absentmindedly as he flipped another page.

"Put your gift away for a second, we have to talk about something."

He looked up at her with narrowed eyes, "You're leaving again, aren't you?"

She nodded with a pained expression.

"When?"

"Tomorrow..."

"Why?"

"Uncle August and I are going to do  _The Alaskan Experience._ "

"I don't like it when you leave, Mom. What if you don't come back like Daddy?"

She leaned forward and pulled Henry into her lap.

"Mom! I'm too old for this."

"Shh, you're never too old for this." She wrapped her arms around his tummy and rested her chin on his shoulder – savoring the moment, "You have every right to be mad at me for leaving. I'm going to ask Aunt Mary to come look after you for a while, and I  _know_  you love spending time with her. But, I promise you this. I will  _always_ come back to you."

"Daddy didn't," he said sadly.

"I know. But I am not your dad. He would have come back if he could. What happened to him was... tragic. And wherever he is now, I know he is smiling down on you. He may not be here, but..." She tapped his heart, "Cliché as it is, he'll always be there."

"How long will you be gone?"

"I am not sure. The competition lasts for six weeks. If we win, that's how long we'll be gone."

Henry nodded firmly, "Then you better win, Mom."

She smiled and brushed her hand through his hair, "I plan to, Kid. Will you be there at the finish line?"

"Can I make a sign?"

"I expect one..."

"Okay."

"Are you mad at me?"

"No, but I'm going to miss you."

Emma sighed, "I'll miss you too. More than you'll ever know." She was quiet for a moment before adding, "So, what does the birthday boy want for breakfast?"

He grinned and looked up at her, "Pancakes."

* * *

A soft knock on her bedroom door made her glance up, and Emma smiled when she saw her sister lean against the doorpost. "Thank you for agreeing to do this on such short notice, I appreciate it and I'm sure Henry does too."

Mary Margaret smiled, "Anytime. You know that." When she didn't move into the room Emma frowned.

"Something's on your mind," she simply stated as she tossed a sock onto the dirty pile. It really should've gone straight into the socks-that-have-too-many-holes-and-therefore-should-be-thrown-out pile, but Emma figured that as long as her toes were still covered, it could go another round. "Spill."

"I'm not sure it's my place to say anything," Mary shrugged. "The last thing I want to do is have you leave feeling guilty."

Emma sighed, "You are worried that I am leaving so soon again after just having come back. You're worried Henry is going to resent me for it, and you're worried that I'm going to regret it. On top of that you probably spent all night googling information about the Alaskan wildlife, and now you're worried a polar bear is going to eat me."

Mary chuckled, "You know me well."

"I forgot his birthday," Emma admitted softly. "I mean, I bought him a present, but I forgot his actual birthday."

"He seems to have forgiven you for it. He was very enthusiastic about his present. It happens. Henry isn't like all the other kids. His classmates get excited about their birthdays three weeks in advance."

Emma smiled, "He really is one-of-a-kind."

"The best."

"Absolutely," Emma nodded. "Doesn't mean it was okay for me to forget."

Mary Margaret took quick steps and sat down next to Emma, "Nope. It's not okay." She patted Emma's knee with a hand, "Forgetting doesn't make you a bad mother, Emma."

"But leaving does?"

"That's not what I'm saying. You are his mother, and leaving for an adventure isn't going to change that. I am more worried about the reasoning behind wanting to leave again. You have known about this competition for years, yet you signed up for it two days before it starts. It doesn't make sense to me."

"You know me, I'm a spur-of-the-moment kinda gal."

Mary Margaret nodded, "True. But that still doesn't add up. It's not like you to throw this into Henry's face two days before the actual thing. You are a meticulous planner when it comes to your survival... stuff."

Emma sighed as she fidgeted with her fingers. Mary Margaret was right, she would usually prepare Henry weeks in advance. They would pack her backpack together and she'd show him exactly where she would go on the map, and this time... None of that happened. She looked at her sister with glistening eyes and quietly murmured, "He's afraid I won't come back."

"Are you?"

"No. I know I can do this. Neal... He always talked about wanting to conquer Alaska. He never got to do any of that. I guess part of me feels like I'm betraying him by doing this with August. It should've been him and me, you know?"

Mary nodded, but didn't interrupt her sister. She knew all too well that Emma needed to say what was on her mind. No interruptions and no judgment.

"When he died out there, I felt so lost, and... I don't know."

"Tell me."

"I am going to do what Neal dreamed of. And don't get me wrong... I am excited for it, but I suppose that part of me feels guilty because..." Emma tried to swallow the guilt that suddenly lodged in her throat. She had never told Mary Margaret the details of how Neal had died - it had been too painful and her sister had never asked her. "When Neal died, he died saving me."

Mary Margaret breathed in heavily, "You know... One day you're going to have to tell someone about it."

"I know."

"He would be proud of you for doing this, Emma. There's no use in beating yourself up for surviving. If he died saving you, the best thing you can do to honor his memory, is living your life to the fullest. If that means going on this... trip, then do it. But, if there's even the smallest part of you that is afraid or unsure, then perhaps you should reconsider, for your own safety."

Emma looked up at her sister, "I want to do this. I feel like I was born for this, I know that doesn't make sense, but I need to do this. For me, and perhaps a part of me wants to do this for him."

Mary nodded and smiled, "I promise to take good care of Henry."

"Thank you. I don't know what I would do without you."

Mary inhaled sharply and sighed, "You'd probably take Henry with you, poor boy." She winked when Emma gasped. "Just kidding, I know you wouldn't. You are a good mother, Emma. Never doubt that. Just... put a reminder in your phone for next year."

"Yeah," Emma said. "That is never going to happen again." She counted her lucky stars that her son was the forgiving kind. After they had breakfast she took him to the movies, just a day between the two of them, doing his favorite things. He had thoroughly enjoyed it, and as the night came closer, he seemed to grow more excited for her trip as well.

"Will you be able to get in touch at all?"

Emma nodded, "There are ten legs to the competition. In between legs we get one day to adjust our packs to the next leg. We're not allowed to bring communication devices during the competition itself though."

"Don't make me a permanent care-taker, Emma," Mary said quietly. She knew all too well that this trip was dangerous. In the previous year a competitor had succumbed to the brutal weather conditions, and it had left an everlasting impact on those who did survive. It hadn't stopped the organizers from hosting the same competition again though, and this year's competition was dedicated to the fallen survivalist.

"Never," Emma said as she shook her head. "Whatever it takes, I will come home."

"I'm gonna go downstairs and make Henry some dinner, any last things I need to do for you before you leave?

Emma shook her head, "All good. I just need a moment and then I'll be right there." She smiled when Mary placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before leaving the room. Her hand reached for the picture that lay on the bed sprawl behind her, and she sighed as her thumb ran over the face of the man who was no longer with her.

She had met Neal when she was a teenager, they had ran into some trouble together, but they came out of it stronger, together. When she found out that she was pregnant, he had been right by her side. Their relationship had been perfect and Neal loved Henry to death. It often made her sad to think that her son had no memories of his father whatsoever.

The picture was on one Neal and Henry together, taken on Henry's second birthday and they both looked so incredibly happy. "I'm going to win this for you," she whispered softly as her eyes shone with tears. "I'll make you proud. None of this could've happened if it wasn't for you. Your sacrifice... it won't be in vain."

She placed the picture in her backpack and looked around the room. August had picked up most of their survival gear earlier that day, and her backpack was the last thing she needed to bring, before their journey to Alaska. She eyed the safety box and pondered whether to bring her gun or not. Neal had always insisted that they'd bring the gun with them, in case of an emergency, but it always made her feel queasy. As if the gun was an invitation for the world to come crashing down on her.

" _Safety first, Emma_."

Neal's words repeated themselves in her head over and over, and with a deflated sigh she opened the safety box and placed the gun at the bottom of her backpack. If nothing else, she could use the gun to scare away Regina and her hound dog. She smirked at the thought before strapping the pack on her back and made her way downstairs – it was now or never.

* * *

"You ready for this?" August asked as they boarded the plane. Their goodbyes to Matthew, Mary Margaret and Henry had been tearful - it always was. There was always that underlying tension that one of them may not make it back and, while they fully intended to, saying goodbye always made it  _that_  much more difficult.

"Absolutely. Are you?"

"I'm not sure," August smiled nervously. "You have a lot more faith in me than I do. But, I trust you. Not looking forward to the snowy mountains though, I'll be freezing my balls off."

Emma grimaced at the description and slapped his shoulder, "Keep your man humor to yourself. We'll all be freezing to death, you should've brought a teddy bear with you for some warmth."

August wiggled his eyebrows, "You know… If we get really cold, we could always huddle up together… Naked."

Emma gagged, "I'd rather freeze to death, thank you."

"I'm offended," August gasped and he winked at the old lady behind him that softly chuckled. "I'll have you known that my chest hair is really comfortable and warm."

"Great, you can shave it off and use it as a blanket then," Emma grinned. "You know… In case you get cold."

"You're gross."

"You love me."

"That I do," August sighed. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, it's a seven hour flight to Anchorage International Airport, give or take a couple of minutes, which means we'll be arriving around 5 AM. It's a ten minute drive to Homewood Suites, but we'll be taking a taxi for that. The briefing starts at 8 PM tomorrow."

"Let me guess, before the briefing starts you want to get at least one work-out in and you want to go through my pack to see if I've packed everything."

Emma grinned, "You know me well. Anyway, we both have to go through our packs. You know how secretive they are, we won't know where the first leg is located until the briefing takes place."

August squinted his eyes as he looked at Emma, who had reclined her chair, earning a loud growl from the man behind her. "There's something you're not telling me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she mumbled, and continued to look out of the small window. She had always preferred the window seat, compared to the aisle seat. At least this way there would be no strangers crawling over her in order to get to the bathroom.

"Emma," he said in a warning tone.

"You really should do your research, August, instead of blindly trusting me."

"Oh god, how bad it is it?"

Emma shrugged, "It's not bad. It's exciting."

"Shit, that means it's really bad. What is it," he asked through gritted teeth.

She turned her head and looked at him with an apologetic smile, "They have added a new rule to the competition. To… up the stakes, so to say." When August didn't say anything, she rolled her eyes and continued on, "You get seventy-two hours to get to the extraction point," Emma's voice trailed off as she bit her lip.

"What happens if you don't make it to the extraction point in time?"

Emma swallowed thickly, "You get left behind and you're out of the competition."

"WHAT!"

"We're not going to get stranded."

"But what if we do? What if one of us gets injured and we won't make it back in time?"

"If you get left behind, you have to make your way out of wherever you are, by yourself. They give you twenty-four hours for that before they will send in an extraction team."

"Why not send in the team at once?"

Emma groaned, "I don't know. Maybe they want to punish you for not making it back in time. Don't worry though. That's not going to happen to us." She grinned, "If you get injured, I'll put you over my shoulder and deliver you at the extraction point that way."

"Any other secrets you wish to share with me?"

"Nope. That's pretty much it."

"I hate you," August growled.

"Save it for the third leg, that's when you'll really hate me. You'll be exhausted, cold, hungry, and ready to throw in the towel."

August huffed and Emma smirked when he scrolled through the menu to find a movie to watch.

"Are you going to watch a chick-flick?"

"You're stereotyping me."

"You so are."

"Shut up."

She smiled and closed her eyes as she took deep breaths. She wasn't very keen on flying, she didn't hate it – but she didn't particularly like it either. The long hours of waiting bored her and the stewards… Well, they annoyed her to no end. She hated the fake smiles that came with the endless questions of what she wanted to drink and eat.

A quick glance at the small screen told her they had another ten minutes before they would take off. Her eyes gazed over to the window again and her heart started beating a little faster. Seven hours… Seven hours until the Boston view would be replaced by that of immensely beautiful nature that to her resembled nothing but freedom.

* * *

She had no idea how long she had been asleep before a voice woke her up from a deep slumber. A soft groan settled itself in her throat as her eyes opened.

"Emma," a voice with nothing but utter disdain called out.

"Kayla. What are you doing here?"

"Why, the same thing as you, I would presume. Except, your silly dream of winning this competition will be shattered in no time when Regina and I beat you and your… partner."

"Keep telling yourself that," Emma growled out. "I figured you and Regina would have been in Alaska for weeks now. Couldn't get time away from the company?"

"Not that it's any of your business," Kayla huffed. "As it happened to be, I had some business to attend to, and we couldn't make it out there before. That won't stop us from beating you though."

"I'm sure it won't," Emma said as she rolled her eyes. "Any particular reason you're still standing there?"

"Rude as ever," Kayla said before whipping her head around as she made her way to the bathroom.

"What'd she want?"

"No idea," August admitted. "Well, other than to brag about her first class seat."

"Figures. Have you seen Regina?"

"No, just the pit bull."

Emma grinned, "I do like it when you call her that. I will never for the life of me understand why Regina is with that woman. I mean, I'm not enthusiastic about Regina either, but surely she can get better than that corporate, stuck-up bitch."

"Careful," August teased. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you have a thing for Regina."

"As if," Emma huffed. "I'd rather choke on a… Well, something."

August laughed softly, "If you're going to come up with a retort, you're going to have to be quicker than that."

"I'll keep that in mind for when we're deep in the mountains, and you're freezing your balls off."

"I hate you."

She smiled and patted his knee, "No August. You really don't."

He sighed, "You're right. But sometimes I wish I could."

"Maybe Kayla will give you some lessons – she seems to be very successful at it."

"Does it bother you?"

"No. I really couldn't give a rat's ass what she thinks about me. All I care about is going into this competition and beating her ass."

"And Regina's?"

Emma sighed, "And Regina's."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while! I did my research for this story, but I am by no means a survival expert, that being said... Any information should be seen as accurate. Reviews are greatly appreciated, but I won't beg. You can find me on Tumblr as delirious-comfort and on Twitter as Delirious_AJ ... DC

“Regina, darling… Please calm down.”

“But—” 

“Regina,” Kayla warningly growled as she rolled her eyes. They cast over the reflection in the mirror and she smiled approvingly. “I understand that you are excited, but you are an  _ adult _ ... Please behave like one.” 

Regina cowered slightly when intimidating eyes found hers through the mirror and nodded. 

“Your mother taught you better than this.” Kayla’s hands waved around as to emphasize her harsh words. “We will leave when  _ I _ am ready.”

“I apologize,” Regina muttered as her hands clasped behind her back. “It’s just that I have been waiting so long for this. I just want to get it over with, I’m dying to get started.”

Kayla smiled as she walked over to Regina and wrapped her arms around her partner. “I know. Soon, my precious. We have plenty of time. You know how punctual I am, we will never be late, my love.” She pressed her lips against Regina’s shortly before returning her gaze to the mirror. 

A heavy sigh escaped Regina’s lips as she watched her girlfriend apply more hairspray to the already perfectly styled hairdo. Lately, it seemed as if Kayla cared about only two things: her appearance, and getting into the good graces of Cora Mills. 

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at her girlfriend, if it wasn’t for the slight difference in hair color, she could easily be convinced that it was - in fact - her mother standing in front of her. Not that it surprised her, Kayla’s career had always been of the utmost importance to her, and with that job… came Cora Mills.

It was Cora who had introduced Kayla to Regina, having taken the younger girl under her wing when it became clear that her own daughter was not interested in taking over the family business. From the moment Regina had been born, her mother had been grooming her towards taking over the family business one day: a billion dollar corporation that would sustain the family for centuries to come. When it became painfully clear to Cora that Regina had no ambition whatsoever to take over from her, Cora began treating her daughter with utter disdain. 

Regina was no stranger to her mother’s vile remarks, for she had always been  _ different  _ from other parents. But from that moment forward, her mother’s behavior was borderline abusive. Nothing she did was good enough for the older woman and she took great pleasure in letting Regina know time and time again, just how often she had failed her as a daughter. At some point her mother’s remarks had become completely unbearable and Regina had sought out the help of a therapist. 

The psychologist had been the one who had put an official label to it. One that Regina fought every step of the way, because she didn’t want to believe her mother truly could be like that. It had taken months of intense counseling before she finally accepted what was happening all this time… that her mother had been emotionally abusing her. 

That abuse; however, seemed to have miraculously vanished when Kayla came into her life. Cora’s attention had shifted from Regina to Kayla, and while she absolutely welcomed the breathing space, she loathed the fact that her own partner seemed to turn into a carbon copy of her mother. 

Some days it really felt like that; as if she was dating a younger version of her mother. Kayla could be just as cold and distant as Cora, and it was on those days that Regina questioned why they were even partners in the first place. Most days it seemed as if they were just going through the motions that were expected of them. Other days Regina could barely look at Kayla, as if she was nothing but a mere stranger. 

On those days it often surprised Regina that Kayla still agreed to go on these survival trips with her. She was no fool, Kayla absolutely despised them and took every opportunity to remind Regina of this fact when they were out in nature. Only on the very rare occasion would Kayla stop long enough to appreciate the scenery, and for a rare moment in time… be absolutely mesmerized by what unfolded before her eyes. Regina cherished those moments, and filed them away as keepsakes for days where Kayla would revert back to that woman who was so filled with spite and bitterness. 

Despite the seeming plethora of Kayla’s bad qualities, there was still so much good that attracted Regina to the stunning woman. Her work ethics were outstanding, and dedication for the corporation even outshone Cora’s on most days. Kayla was intelligent, graduated top of the class from Harvard University, and when push came to shove… she could even be kind. When a good friend of theirs had been in financial trouble, Kayla had been the one who had helped them get back on their feet, and even better off than they were before. These were the qualities that Regina greatly admired and ones that she would often cling to when she needed it the most. 

“Oh, guess who I ran into on the plane,” Kayla huffed and grabbed Regina’s hand as they walked out into the corridor moments later. “I forgot to mention it to you earlier.”

“Who?”

“August and Emma.”

Regina smiled when Kayla squeezed her hand. “Emma will be a tough competitor,” she said quietly. “Not sure about August though, I think he will mostly have to rely on Emma.”

“He was his usual …  _ unkind _ self.”

Regina reached out to press the elevator button and she groaned softly when Kayla beat her to it. “What did he say?”

“Oh, I don’t remember. Nothing important, and Emma was asleep during most of our conversation. Why  _ do _ you think she’ll be any competition at all, my love?”

“It would be foolish to think otherwise,” Regina stated calmly, choosing her words carefully. “Emma is strong, tough, and goes after exactly what it is that she wants. You know what she’s like. She scopes out the competition and learns all of their strengths and weakness, and then uses that against them.”   


“Like a snake,” Kayla hissed.

“Not quite the words I’d use. Dedicated, perhaps... Was Henry with them?” A smile spread on her face when she thought of the little brown-haired boy that was so dear to her. For some reason he had taken a liking to her when they first met, and she had instantly fallen in love with his doe-eyes and innocent face. She didn’t really care for Emma all that much – not that she disliked her, but their first encounter hadn’t exactly been a positive one... and they just never seemed to be able to move on from that. But Henry? God, Henry was as cute as a button.

“Of course not. I assume that her sister is going to be taking care of him. It’s a shame really, leaving your kid behind like that. When we have kids, all this adventure stuff of yours will be coming to an end.”

Regina swallowed thickly, as she always did when Kayla brought up children. The thought alone was absolutely suffocating to her. She was nowhere near ready to give up her survival competitions. Not only had she developed a great passion for these competitions, they brought her a source of great solace. “I’m sure Henry supports Emma.” Whether she said that to convince herself or Kayla, she wasn’t sure.

“Regardless, a child shouldn’t be left behind like that. He already lost his father, Emma shouldn’t gamble with her own life like that.”

“I suppose so.” Regina shrugged as they stepped off the elevator and followed the signs to the conference center. Her heart started beating rapidly as they took their seats and her eyes scoped out her competition. None of these people were foreigners to her, and truth be told? None of them scared her. Sure, her fellow competitors were tough… But, she was tougher. If Kayla could keep up with her, they could actually win this year’s competition. And winning? Well… winning was Regina’s middle name.

* * *

“I want to welcome you all to Alaska!” A loud and enthusiastic voice thundered through the conference room bringing everyone to an applause. “I hope you’re comfortable, because after today… Well, I hope you brought a warm sweater!” Laughing at his own ridiculous joke, he grinned when the laughter finally died down. “My name is Greg and I’m here to officially welcome you to The Alaskan Experience 2013!” He glanced at the door that opened and smiled when two latecomers entered. With a wink he stage-whispered to the group, “Well, if they keep  _ that  _ up, it isn’t very promising for their chances of winning!”

Emma inwardly groaned as she and August quickly made their way over to the last seats in the room, muttering a soft apology for being late. “Told you we were late,” she hissed as she poked an elbow into August’s ribs.

“Well, if you wouldn’t have insisted on taking a shower after your workout, we would’ve been right on time,” August shot back.

A subtle clearing of a throat interrupted Emma’s reply, and when she whipped her head around she looked straight into the deep, chocolaty brown eyes of one Regina Mills. She turned around again and sunk down lower in her chair with a deep sigh. “Great,” she muttered, her mood taking a turn for the worse as she focused on the host instead.

“Look around you folks, these are the people you will be facing head-on as you venture out into the brutal cold of the Alaskan Mountains. As you know,” Greg said, his voice deep and solemn, “this competition has taken lives before. Do not be fooled by the innocent looks of your fellow competitors here. Only the most fierce and toughest contenders will make it to the finish line in this  _ relentless  _ test for survival.”

A wicked grin spread on Emma’s face when she noticed the shocked look on August’s face and she patted his thigh comfortingly. She could understand why he was terrified, but as long as she was alive, she wasn’t going to let anything happen to him.

“The rules to completing the competition are simple: you have seventy-two hours to reach the extraction point. If you miss the deadline, you’re out of the competition. Points will be rewarded to you based on how much time is left until the extraction. There will be ten legs in total…” He paused as he made eye contact with individuals in the crowd. “Your first leg will take place around the Alatna River.”

Emma whistled lowly and grinned when August gave her a panicked look. “Don’t worry, we’ll find an easy road.”

“Tomorrow,” Greg said with his voiced raised to silence the crowd once more, “you will be dropped off in the Arrigetch Mountains. From there, it’s forty-two miles to the extraction point at Takahula Lake.” He smirked as he looked around the room. “Questions?” Laughter erupted throughout the room as hands were raised. He pointed to a scruffy looking man on the far left side of the room, “Samuel!”

Samuel nodded as he stood up, and Emma smiled endearingly at the older man. “I see the contest has gained some popularity based on the amount of people that are currently here. In previous years we made teams of two, has that changed at all?

“No,” Greg said. “But… We may throw in some twists and turns throughout the competition.” 

“Meaning?” Samuel asked.

“When we drop all of you in the Arrigetch Mountains, you get to decide whether you want to go ahead as a team of two, or if you’d rather stay in a group. Like you mentioned, there are more contenders this year, so I can imagine that some of the new people might want to pair up with the more seasoned survivalists. When you arrive at Takahula Lake you will still be awarded points based on the original team you signed up with. As the legs continue, we may throw in another curve, but as you well know… We like to keep that a secret.”

Samuel nodded once more before sitting down. 

“Regina Mills,” Greg smiled as he pointed towards the brunette. “Good to see you here, are you ready to blow everyone out of the water?”

“Absolutely. What are the gear rules?”

“You may bring whatever you can carry. I suggest you do thorough research on the current weather conditions surrounding Lake Alatna so that you can pack appropriately.” He paused for a moment before pointing to August, “Yes?”

August nervously scraped clear his throat before standing up, “My… survival partner wasn’t too clear on the rules of extraction if you miss the deadline. Could you please elaborate?”

Greg grinned and nodded, “You will all be equipped with a DeLorne PN60 with InReach Two-Way Satellite. It has been slightly altered, so you won’t be able to use it to communicate with anyone not associated directly to the competition. There are communication satellites spread throughout Alaska that will send information to and from your InReach device.  _ If  _ you don’t make it in time to the extraction point, you’re on your own for twenty-four hours. Only after that, you can use the InReach to contact us through text messages and we’ll get in contact. The InReach has an automated tracking option, so we’ll know where you are at all times. In case of emergencies, you can use the SOS option and we will come and get you out of there immediately. If early removal is needed, the emergency team will get as close as they can get by means of float-plane to your last known location and then set off on foot from there. Once they’ve located you, they will guide you to the extraction point and you will officially be eliminated from the competition.” 

August mumbled a, “Thank god,” before sitting down again and light chuckles were heard throughout the room. After about thirty minutes all questions were answered and Greg leaned against the table behind him as he crossed his arms. “This year there are fifteen teams, that means there are thirty  _ lives  _ at stake. Do  _ not  _ underestimate the brutal terrain and treacherous landscapes, especially the ever-changing weather conditions. Safety first, look out for one another, and when needed… Do  _ not _ hesitate to use your SOS signal.” 

“When is it go-time?” Emma asked eagerly. Nerves were settling in now, good nerves… But still, all this talk just made her eager to start, and she wanted to get some proper research done before they ascended into the mountains. 

“Eight AM sharp,” Greg said with a serious face. “It’s a two hour drive to the float-planes, and an hour flight to the beginning point. Once there you get thirty minutes to look at the maps and set out your routes before the official competition begins at noon. Needless to say, if you miss your ride to the float-plane… You’re out of the competition. For now… Do your research, get your gear together and take advantage of that one last hot shower before we take off tomorrow. Get a good night’s rest people, you’re in for a rough ride!”

With that the gathering was officially over and when people started to mingle, Emma looked at August. “Feeling a bit less nervous now?”

“Oh man, I don’t even know anymore. I’m not sure whether that whole talk both scared me shitless, or inspired me.”

Emma grinned, “Well, use that inspiration when you’re  _ scared shitless _ . I promise you, you’re going to love it. This isn’t your first rodeo, you’re ready for this.”

“It’s a good thing I trust you,” August sighed. “But just in case…  _ I’m _ taking the satellite thing with me. If we get separated, at least they can extract me and bring me to a nice hot bath!”

“Oh really? And what about me?”

August smirked and mockingly said, “My name is Emma Swan and I am going to destroy each and everyone one of you. I was born to win.”

Emma groaned and face-palmed, “I can’t believe the one time I get drunk, you decide to etch my words into your brain, only to whip them out at the most inappropriate of times.”

“What do you mean, ‘the one time’?” 

“Bite me, Pinocchio.” Emma sighed as she looked around the room. “Let’s skip the mingling and–”

“Miss Swan.”

Emma’s eyes briefly closed as she quickly counted to ten before turning around, a fake smile plastered onto her face, “Regina.”

“I was wondering… How is Henry?”

“Why,” Emma asked, her eyes glaring. She growled when August elbowed her in the ribs. “He’s fine. In fact he just had a birthday. Mostly, he will be excited to see me at the finish line as the winner,” she said quite smugly.

Regina smiled, “Good, I’m glad to hear he is doing well.” She looked down at the floor and shuffled her feet, “Would you allow me to buy him a birthday present?”

Emma was shell-shocked for a moment, “A birthday present?”

“Indeed. Henry’s always kind to me, I’d like to buy him something special.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed, “He already  _ got _ something special. From me… his  _ mother _ .”

“That’s not what I meant, I just–”

“I may not be the richest mom, or be able to buy him expensive presents, but rest assured, every gift he does get… is special. To him.”

“Miss Swan, I–”

“Emma.”

Regina nodded, “Emma. I apologize if you think–”

“Do  _ not _ apologize to that… creature,” a voice sneered from behind Emma. She sighed when the dark-haired woman stood protectively in front of Regina, as if to shield her from the world. Emma immediately noticed how Regina’s eyes cast down and a low growl settled itself in her throat. She may not have been fond of either of them, but even Regina deserved better than that hell-hound. 

“Kayla.”

“Kayla, there’s no need–”

“Hush, Regina. Whatever it is that you are apologizing for, I know for a fact it’s most definitely  _ not _ needed. Come along love, we really should get ready to turn in for the night.” With that she grabbed Regina’s hand and pulled her towards the exit.

“Hold up a moment,” Emma said as took quick steps to catch up with them. “Look, I’m not going to start this competition by making two enemies, but I refuse to be called a  _ creature _ . It’s vile and unnecessary. You don’t even know what she was apologizing for.”

“Whatever it was, I’m sure you were overreacting,” Kayla scoffed. “Don’t worry, Emma. We will not make an enemy out of you either, but that doesn’t mean we are interested in conversing with you.”

“Wow. Do you always speak for Regina?” 

Kayla’s eyes narrowed as she took a step closer to Emma, her voice low and threatening. “I will speak for Regina if I deem it fit. It’s not for you to question. You are  _ not _ her friend, and you never will be.”

August reached out a hand and gently rested it on Emma’s shoulder, “Let’s just go Emma. She’s not worth it.”

Emma eyes traveled from Kayla to Regina and nodded. “You’re right. Neither of them are. Good luck out there, hope you don’t freeze to death.” With that she turned around and followed August back to their hotel room. 

“I hate that fucking bitch,” Emma yelled as soon as the door shut behind her. “Did you hear what she called me? Why the fuck would Regina put up with a person like that?”

August shrugged, “Doesn’t seem like Regina has much to say within that relationship. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Let’s just focus on what’s ahead tomorrow. We need to pack.”

“Yeah, I’ll fire up my laptop.” 

Emma rubbed the back of her neck as she sat down on the couch, her feet tugged beneath her legs. Kayla always managed to get under her skin and she hated it. Perhaps she did overreact a bit, but Regina’s implication that Henry didn’t get anything special just didn’t… Emma sighed, her biggest fear in life had always been that she wouldn’t be able to provide her son with all that he needed, but she tried her best. She wasn’t well-off like Regina, but she managed. She didn’t make enough money to spend on extravagant presents, but she sure as hell would always provide him with something that had sentimental value. Her kid meant the world to her, and Emma made sure that he never questioned her love for him. Expensive gifts be damned. 

“So,” August said as he settled himself next to her on the couch. “What are we packing?”

She pushed thoughts of the two women to the back of her mind as she smiled at August. He came prepared as usual, pen and paper in hand to make the list they could check off as they packed their gear. “According to this weather report… rain resistant clothing.” She chuckled when August groaned and pointed to a map on her laptop. “As far as I can tell there are three ways to get to Takahula Lake.” She looked up at August, “Do you think they let that slip by accident? Usually they won’t tell you the extraction point until you’re out there, right?”

“Could be,” August shrugged. “Three ways?”

Emma nodded and pointed to the east of the map, “We could go through the mountains. Lots of cover from the rain from the trees, but it has 4000 ft peaks. Another option would be to follow the river or along the valley. The weather report says it’ll be about 32 F, so whatever route we’re going to take, we’re going to be cold.” Her eyes squinted as she pointed to the west of the map, “We could go through the Eastern Brook Range, seems like lots of wide open terrain, but with very little cover.” She poked a tongue out at August, “Which of those options speaks most to you?”

“None of them,” he joked. “I’ll let you take the lead on this one.” 

“The Alatna River would be the most straightforward way to go, but I think my preference would be to go into the mountains. The tree cover will shelter us somewhat from the rain and we may be able to find some dry wood to make a fire to keep us warm at night.”

“Right, so what are we bringing?” A small smile spread on his lips as Emma started rattling off a list of what gear to pack.  _ This _ was his best friend in her element and he was quite proud of her. 

After two hours of adding and removing things from their list, setting the gear aside that they would bring, there was one last item left and Emma sighed. “Okay, tent or tarp?”

“Pros for the tent please.”

“It’ll protect us better from the rain, keep us safe from insects, easier to set up, and it’s self standing.”

“Pros for the tarp?”

Emma groaned as her eyes closed, “It’ll be light and versatile... Forget it. We’re bringing the tent. It’ll do neither of us any good to sleep on the wet ground at this point in the game.” She set her laptop aside and got up from her comfy seat and walked over to their packs. Her eyebrows raised and she chuckled, “We need to divide and conquer.”

She knelt in front of her pack and let her hands run over the smooth material. It had been an expensive purchase, but it had been worth every last dollar. Her pack was bright red, a Deuter Futura Vario and very suitable considering its lightweight and breathable abilities. It had wear and tear marks, but they fondly reminded of her trips past, and trips yet to come. 

August’s pack was the same as hers, aside from the fact that his was built especially for the male body. She had bought it for him before their first trip together. It was black with grey outlines and the first time he had strapped it on was stored in the back of her mind as a special moment. It meant a new phase in their friendship and she hadn’t regretted a moment of it since. 

“Don’t forget to pack your rain cover,” Emma said as she eyed August sideways. “A soaked pack weighs a lot more.” She focused on her own pack again, grateful that her sleeping pad was already rolled into her sleeping bag. It meant not having to go through the hassle of making it all fit into the tiny bag, which with her… patience; or lack thereof, could take forever. 

It wasn’t until much later that they both let themselves fall onto the bed, exhausted by the day they had, the necessary gear stuffed into their packs. It had taken some time to figure how to evenly divide the supplies, but they were eventually able to make it all work out. 

Emma yawned as snuggled up into the covers, “Night Pinocchio.”

“Night Princess.”

“I hate it when you call me that.”

“I hate it when you call me Pinocchio.” August grinned when he heard a soft growl, followed by soft murmur. “Love you too.”

* * *

On the other side of the hotel, in a much more luxurious room, Regina’s eyes closed as the scalding hot water from the shower grazed her body. The beginnings of an on setting headache slowly drifted away as she lathered her body with soap. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she thought back of the scene that happened several hours ago. She truly hadn’t meant to insult Emma like that, but for some reason she had and it honestly bothered her. 

When they had returned to their hotel room Kayla attempted to make love to her, but she wasn’t in the mood and used the flimsy excuse of packing their gear as her reason to deny her girlfriend’s invitation to the bed. It had been one that was accepted, but not without guilting her into feeling as if something was wrong with her. This was when she had decided to jump into the luxurious shower in their en-suite before they ascended into the mountains tomorrow. 

She had carefully planned out their entire route, deciding that going into the mountains would be the most comfortable path. Besides, Regina liked being in the mountains. Listening to the sounds of nature, the birds and the wind rustling in the trees gave her a serene feeling. Regina knew that Kayla wouldn’t be able to appreciate it, but at this point, she didn’t care. 

Her backpack stood in the corner of the room, right by the door and a gentle smile spread on her face when she thought of her trustworthy companion. It had been with her on several trips, and more importantly… It was all hers. Something that no one had any control over, and no matter how silly it seemed, her backpack brought her great comfort. Tomorrow she would leave her troubles from the real world behind and focus solely on getting to the extraction point. Getting there as fast as they could was not her priority, she’d rather focus on getting there safely, while scoping out the competition. 

This was the first time such a big group of people had signed up, and from experience she knew at least three teams wouldn’t make it to the finish line. They would be over-eager, not well-enough prepared, or… even worse, not careful. Not her though, she was a meticulous planner, much like Kayla. Safety first, under all circumstances. When she had won her first survival competition, it had been paired by the painful loss of one of the other contenders. It seemed as if these rivalries always seemed to go along with death, but that didn’t stop her from entering them. She knew the risks, but those didn’t scare her enough to stop from the challenges. Competing was her life, and she’d gladly take the risks that came with it. 

She took her time to towel dry her body and after brushing her hair and teeth she got into bed. A glance at Kayla told her she was fast asleep, and part of her was relieved. She was not in the mood for any love-making, desperately needing to save that energy for the trip that lay ahead. 

Her eyes closed as she envisioned the mountains that were so close; ready for the adventure to begin. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

“Was it truly necessary for us to be thirty minutes early?” August questioned as he glanced sideways at Emma. He rolled his eyes when he noticed the almost child-like excitement on her face and the slight skip in her step. It was hard to even playfully scold Emma knowing how happy she currently was, an emotion that would only triple by the time their journey officially began.

“It was,” Emma confirmed. “Had we been late we would have been thrown out of the competition.”

August reached out for Emma and pulled her to a stop. He looked at her as seriously as he could. “I know you’re excited Emma, but save some of that energy will you? We have six weeks of hell to get through. You’re going to need it.”

Emma nodded before walking on to the meeting spot. She knew August was right, it was hard to contain her excitement, she didn’t want to contain it, but she needed to tone it down a notch.

“We’ve got company,” August growled as he saw Regina and Kayla walk towards them. They seemed to be engaged in a heated argument and he almost felt sorry for Regina when he noticed the sadness in her eyes. Something in that relationship was so god-awfully wrong but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Not that he wanted to, whatever it is was, it was none of his business.

“Emma?” Regina said as she took a step closer after carefully placing her pack on the ground. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

Emma sighed but nodded.

“I’ll give you two some space,” August said as he moved away, careful to walk in the opposite direction of where Kayla stood. The last thing he wanted to do was to make friendly conversation with the woman he despised more than anything.

“I wanted to apologize for yesterday,” Regina softly said. “I never meant to imply that I could buy Henry something that would be more special than something you bought him.”

Emma took a deep breath, knowing all too well she was the one who should be apologizing. “Look. I may have overreacted a little bit. Henry is obviously fond of you and if you want to buy him a present, go right ahead.” She didn’t miss the sparkle in Regina’s eyes when she gave her consent and managed a half smile before her eyes diverted to the hellhound. “That being said, I don’t want your partner anywhere near him. He doesn’t need to be around vile people and she’s obviously––”

“I understand,” Regina cut her off. She glanced behind her and sighed when Kayla raised her eyebrows. “I should go. Good luck out there Emma.”

“Thanks, you too,” Emma replied before walking over to August.

“I’m only five percent disappointed there wasn’t an epic catfight,” he teased as he bumped her shoulder.

“Give it time,” Emma sighed. “We still have six weeks to go. I might mistake Kayla for a wild bear and shoot her ass.”

 

* * *

 

“Welcome aboard peeps,” a cheerful voice called out. “My name is Ruby and I’ll be your somewhat sober float plane aviator today.

Emma grinned as she took the hand that reached out to hers and shook it firmly. “Emma Swan, winner of this competition.”

“Attitude,” Ruby grinned. “I approve.”

Emma shot her a wink before climbing aboard and shrugged her shoulders when August gave her a look. “What?”

“Somewhat sober? Seriously?”

She didn’t reply. Instead she strapped on her seatbelt, her pack firmly wedged between her legs. Her fingertips drummed on the top of it, it wouldn’t be long now before they’d set foot in the actual wilderness and it excited her to no end. She gave a friendly nod to the other six passengers that joined them. They were unknown to her and she’d prefer to keep it that way, she wasn’t in it to make friends.

That morning she had been up early, going over the weather forecast. She couldn’t help but wonder why they had chosen to give away the location of their end of the leg destination. In all her years of following the competition they had never done it and it somewhat worried her. The weather forecast had been pretty mild; cold and lots of rain, just like she had predicted.

She had gone through the different routes they could take again. The mountains still seemed like the best option to her. The shelter they provided from the rain would be something they could greatly benefit from and this early in the competition they should take advantage of every opportunity.

The nerves that had settled in her stomach settled down immediately when the snow covered mountain tops came into sight and she took a deep breath, savoring the moment. Her eyes closed as she breathed deeply in and out, when she finally opened her eyes they were slowly descending towards the ground and she pinched August when they landed on the water.

“Here goes nothing,” August muttered as he stepped onto the raft that lead out of the water.

Emma grabbed his arm and turned him around, “The adventure of a lifetime is about to start. We’re in this together. We’ve got this.”

He smiled and nodded, “We’ve got this.”

 

* * *

 

“Seventy-two hours,” Greg said as he looked around the group. “Takahula lake is about fifty miles away from here. You’ve all received your satellite communication devices, yes?” He looked around the group once more and smiled at all the nods he received in return. “Each team gets one map, I’d suggest to not lose it.” He smiled before continuing, “Be safe out there, use your SOS only when absolutely necessary and most importantly of all: have fun. You have thirty minutes to go over the map, get your teams together should you decide to group up and to make last minute preparations.” With that the different teams scattered around, eager to get started.

“I still think the mountains are the best way to go,” Regina said. “They provide plenty of cover from the rain that’s about to hit. The river will be too cold and there’s little shelter if we’d take this route,” she pointed to the map.

“Is that not the route you were studying last night anyway,” Kayla asked as she looked around. “You should know to never change plans at the last minute, nothing good ever comes of it.”

“It’s the route I initially looked at yes,” Regina sighed. Kayla’s attitude was already annoying her to bits, rather than helping her she just stood around scoffing at anyone who even dared to glimpse at her. “But like I said last night, the mountains are the safe way to go.”

“Forget about safe, what’s the quickest route?”

“Forget about safe? Do you have a death wish?” Regina balked. She immediately regretted her outburst when a hand wrapped itself firmly around her wrist.

“Do not talk to me that way,” Kayla seethed through her teeth. She released the wrist and smiled sweetly, “You dragged me out here to win, that’s the only reason I asked for the quickest route.”

“Of course,” Regina said, accepting the excuse for what it was. “Going into the mountains will be the safest…” she glanced at Kayla and continued, “and the quickest route.”

“Then it’s settled,” Kayla said as she clapped her hands. “Excuse me for a moment.”

Regina sighed as Kayla walked over to Greg, no doubt flirting her way into a win. Not that it would work, Greg was an honest man and could probably see right through the poor attempt.

She put the map away in her backpack and breathed deeply in through her nose as she looked around. As per usual, Kayla was not fazed by the beauty that surrounded them, unlike Regina who reveled in it. The snow covered mountain tops were calling out to her and she couldn’t wait until she returned home. It really did feel like that, a home away from home. Except, this home was one she always longed for, made her feel safe and content unlike the house that awaited her at… well, home.

A smile spread on her face when Samuel walked up to her. She had always liked the older man and his kindness to always help others on their way.

“Have you decided on a route, Regina?”

“We’re going into the mountains,” she replied. “With the weather forecast it seems like the sensible route to take.”

He grinned and cocked his head, “Sensible, yes. Smart? Who knows! Tom and I have decided to follow the river and I believe we have a small gathering of people who are going to follow us. Safety in numbers after all.”

“Absolutely,” she nodded. “Isn’t it gorgeous out here, Samuel?”

“It is,” he agreed. “Kayla isn’t a fan of nature is she?”

His kind smile made Regina chuckle lightly. “Afraid not.”

He wrapped an arm around her and pointed to a bird flying high in the sky, “Be like a bird, Regina. You choose your own path. Don’t let anyone stand in your way.”

If it wasn’t for the cold that already brought on the tears in her eyes, that comment surely would have done it and she gave him a quick hug. Samuel had the wisdom of an old spirit and always knew the right thing to say, a feature she greatly admired in him. “We’re still going to beat you to finish line,” she grinned.

“We’ll see about that, little bird.” His laughter came from deep within his belly as he turned to leave again. “Either way, best of luck to you. We shall see you at the finish line.”

 

* * *

 

Emma felt completely in her element as she continued to follow the path she had set out for her and August. Two couples had decided to take the mountain path as well and a low growl in her throat reminded her of the fact that one of those couples were her arch-nemesis. Thankfully Regina and Kayla were already ahead of them and the only sign she saw of them were the glimpses of their backpacks every now and then. Frank and Nicole were experienced backpackers who decided to ‘give it a try,’ and they were already severely lagging behind. Not that Emma minded, she didn’t think they would last long anyway and she was completely focused on her surroundings. The tall grass that grazed her boots were a beautiful array of colors. Everywhere she looked shades of purple, red and green penetrated her vision and it brought her nothing but completely happiness.

“I can’t believe Samuel and Tom are following the river with their group of followers,” August laughed. “They’re like a cult.”

Emma grinned. “Maybe they’ll sing Kumbaya around a campfire tonight.” She frowned when August suddenly stopped to a halt and put an arm protectively in front of Emma. “What’s wrong?”

He pointed to three in front of them, “We’re not alone.”

Claw marks had stripped down most of tree in front of them and Emma swallowed thickly. These were important reminders to anyone who paid attention that they were truly in the wilderness. “Wolves?”

August nodded, “It would appear so.” His eyes scanned the landscape in front of him all the way to the river that ran hundreds of feet below. “You know the drill,” he mumbled as he picked up the pace again.

The drill was their way of saying to keep their ears and eyes open. Any sign of wolves and they would have to alter their course, which would considerably cut into their time, something Emma wasn’t looking forward to.

They walked for another twenty minutes before Emma grabbed August’s arm and pointed toward a dark spot in the distance. “Wolf.”

“A black one,” he murmured as he followed the line of sight. “Two actually.” As soon as he spoke the words a loud howling sound pierced their ears and the hairs in the back of their necks stood up straight.

“Let’s get out of here,” August said as he led them higher up into the mountains. “Should we warn the others?”

“Fuck no,” Emma growled. “This is not the boy scouts. Everyone’s on their own out here.” She bent over and grimaced as she picked up a skull. “What’s this?”

“No idea, but it looks like it’s been there for a while. We should be good up here. If we’re lucky the wolves have picked up the scent of the Kumbaya cult and by morning they’ll be down four members.”

“August!” Emma snorted as she slapped his shoulder playfully. She was quiet for a moment, “Henry would love it up here.”

“You miss him already?”

“I miss him every minute he’s not with me. He’s scared, you know?”

August didn’t have to ask what the little man was scared off. It was a fear his own husband shared every time he and Emma set out on another adventure.

“You should take him on a holiday. Show him how safe it is, show him the ropes.”

“I might,” she nodded. She had thought about it before but was always somewhat hesitant to bring it up with Henry. Neal’s death scared Henry and she wasn’t quite sure how he’d feel to be out in the same environment that stole his father from him. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. She couldn’t afford to think about that right now. Not when the sun would go down in a couple of hours and they still needed to find a suitable shelter for the night and set up their tents.

 

* * *

 

Regina loathed how Kayla almost ran through the fields just to put some distance between herself and the other couples. “Can we slow down a bit?” Regina requested with bated breath. Asking Kayla to do something she herself didn’t suggest was always a treacherous thing. She would either get mad or smile sweetly and Regina never knew which version she’d get. “We should set up camp soon,” she added in hopes of bringing some reason into her argument of wanting to slow down. If they kept their current pace up they’d both be utterly sore tomorrow and their day would be hell.

“You’re right,” Kayla nodded.

Regina looked up in surprise but didn’t say anything. Instead she caught up to her partner and intertwined their hands together, “It’s beautiful out here.” Kayla squeezed her hand but didn’t say anything. It always seemed to be like that lately, Regina was always looking for the right words to trigger a response from Kayla and it often resulted in absolutely zilch.

“This looks like a good spot over here,” Kayla said as she let go of Regina’s hand and let her backpack fall to the ground. “Find some wood, I’ll set up the tent.”

Regina sighed and let her own backpack fall to the ground. Finding wood meant more walking to find wood that was dry enough to burn. She didn’t say anything as she moved higher up through the trees and picked up branches and logs light enough to carry back with her to the camp. Her annoyance with Kayla was immediately forgotten when she heard rustling in the trees. She stood perfectly still as she waited for the creature to reveal itself. Or rather– she hoped it would run the other way and not reveal itself at all. She released a sigh of relief when a bird hopped away from under the leaves. Carefully placing her footing on the somewhat slippery soil she found her way back to Kayla and placed the wood near the spot where they’d make the fire.

“There are matches in my pack,” Kayla said as she eyed the wood Regina had gathered. “Is that all you could find?”

“It’s all that will burn and it will be enough,” Regina said as kindly as she could. “We should eat and go to sleep soon. It doesn’t get too dark here at night, so we’ll be up early and we’ll have a long day ahead of us.”

They sat in silence while Regina worked to get the fire started and Kayla grabbed two freeze-dried meals. They weren’t that tasty, but they did contain all the carbs and protein they needed.

“Spaghetti or rice and chicken?” Kayla asked.

With a smile Regina reached for the rice and chicken, while they waited for the water in the small pot to come to a boil. Once it did, Regina added it to the pouch and stirred it with her spoon before doing the same to Kayla’s meal. She glanced at her watch, eight minutes until she could eat the meal she had been looking forward to all day and she could finally go lay down to get some much deserved rest.

“How many teams do you think will make it to the finish of this leg?” Kayla asked as she added a small branch to the fire.

“Not sure,” Regina said as she took another bite of her rice and chicken. “I’m sure those that stuck with Samuel will make it, he won’t leave them behind, not this early in the competition. But those that ventured out on their own, I suspect three or four teams that won’t make it in time.”

“Any chance Emma and August are not going to make it?”

Regina shook her head, “Not a chance. Together with Samuel and Tom, Emma and August are the biggest threat to us in this competition.” She looked at Kayla quizzically, “Why do you hate her so much?”

Kayla scoffed, “Irresponsible parent, insufferable attitude, do I need to go on?”

Regina sighed but kept her thoughts to herself. She didn’t agree with Kayla on the irresponsible parent part. As far as she could tell Henry was well looked after and always happy and going on trips didn’t make Emma an irresponsible parent. But to voice that opinion to Kayla would result in a fight and she had no energy left to deal with that. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was to think of Emma Swan when she could focus on her glorious view instead. She pushed the pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach away when she realized her glorious view was the nature surrounding her and not the bitter partner sitting across from her.

  

* * *

 

“Tomorrow you’re going fishing.” August growled as he turned over in his sleeping bag. “A person can only survive so long on nuts and nothing but nuts.”

“Nuts are very nutritious,” Emma smirked. “You should know.”

“Please tell me you are not implying I’m gay because I like nuts because that would be gross and incredibly homophobic.”

“You know me, I’m incredibly homophobic.” She grinned when she heard a snort.

“Is that why you never call your one night stands back? Afraid they’ll figure out you’re not into women?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “It was one– one, one night stand. Besides, she was crazy and while we had a good time, I didn’t appreciate the ‘I love you’ murmured to me before she fell asleep.” She nudged August with an elbow. “If I’m homophobic, you’re biphobic.”

“Why are we even friends?”

“No idea. I hate your ass.”

“I hate yours too.”

“Because it isn’t hairy enough?” She bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing.

“No,” August said as he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on her cheek. “I think it’s too hairy.”

“I think you’re quite fond of my ass actually,” Emma retorted and shoved him back down to the ground. “I’ve seen you checking it out.”

“Oh my god,” August groaned. “Go to sleep, Princess.”

“Whatever, Pinocchio.”

“Hey Emma?”

“Hmm?”

“I think Kayla checked out your ass before they took off.” He grinned and hid his face in the make-shift pillow when Emma’s furious eyes found his in the dim light.

“Your dick just shrunk two inches.”

“WHAT!”

“It’s like Pinocchio’s nose, but with you… When you tell a lie, your thing shrinks an inch.”

“You said two, I only told one lie,” August pointed out.

“You also said you hated my ass,” Emma laughed before closing her eyes.

“You’re a horrible person,” August sighed.

“Careful,” Emma whispered. “If you keep this up you’ll find yourself waking up with a vagina.”

“What the fuck did you smoke today!”

“Vaginas are fun,” Emma teased.

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. Go to sleep!”

“Love ya, Pistachio.” When August didn’t reply she leaned in closer and said, “Get it? Because–“ Her reply was cut off by a sock that was unceremoniously shoved into her mouth. She coughed and flung the sock away. “I hope that was a clean one.”

“Night, Emma.”

“Love ya.”

“Goodnight.” August smiled when he heard a small scoff, knowing all too well what she wanted to hear. “Love you.”

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

There was one sight Emma absolutely loathed while being in Alaska and it was the face of the hound dog. Luckily for her and August, Regina and Kayla had quite the head start on them and they hadn’t run into them. That was until they slowly descended from the mountain.

“I don’t fucking believe it,” she said. Her footing slipped as she stepped over a branch and she smiled thankfully at August who steadied her.

“What?”

“Look. It’s the hound dog and her puppy.” She rolled her eyes at August’s empty expression.

“Why are you letting Kayla get to you? She’s going to distract you. It’s exactly what she wants.”

Emma sighed and slowly moved forward. Her entire body ached and was sore from their second night they had spent up in the mountains. While their first night had been relatively comfortable, the second night they were too tired to find a suitable spot. Instead they had set up the tent and caught up on the rest they so desperately needed. Sleep had immediately claimed Emma, but when she woke up she cursed herself for not clearing the ground before setting up the tent. Her entire body hurt from the branches they had slept upon, the sleeping bag providing them little to no protection from the sticks.

August stopped and frowned. “Emma.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s the Alatna river. We can’t go that way. We’ll have to go around.”

Emma was quiet for a moment before shaking her head. “No way. If we have to go around it’s going to take us hours. We have five hours to get to the landing zone. It’s too big of a risk.” She winced when August slightly raised his voice.

“So we risk our lives crossing a river that has claimed many lives before?”

She took a deep breath. “Let’s just get down there first and see how bad it is, we can decide from there on out, okay?”

August nodded and followed her further down the mountain. He was tired and the cold was getting to him. For two days straight it had been raining and last night they had been unsuccessful in starting a fire, choosing to go to sleep instead to gather strength to finish the last part of their journey. He knew it would only get worse from here on out, but he looked forward to the soft bed he would be sleeping in tonight… If they made it to the landing zone in time.

“Why aren’t they moving?” Emma frowned as she they got closer to the women in front of them. “Are they–” The rest of that sentence was stuck in her throat as a high-pitched scream came from behind her. The hairs in the back of her neck stood up straight as she turned around. “What the fuck was that?”

August slowly shook his head. “I have no idea...” He swallowed thickly and grabbed Emma by the arm. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Emma nodded and quickened her pace. Her heart beat in her throat as another scream pierced her ears. She couldn’t tell how far away it was, the sound being carried much further by the wind. She jumped down from a small rock and made sure August made it down safely before turning to Kayla and Regina. “Did you guys hear that?”

Regina nodded. “Who else went through the mountain?”

“Frank and Nicole,” August replied.

“It could come from somewhere else,” Kayla said.

Emma shook her head. “No way. That came from high up in the mountains. Last I checked we were still miles ahead of them.”

“You spying on your competitors?”

Emma rolled her eyes at Kayla. “You know what I mean. They didn’t pass us. We would have noticed.” She breathed in deeply and tried not to think about what had caused that scream. Whatever it was, they weren’t able to help. Frank and Nicole were on their own and she tried to find solace in the fact that if the couple needed it, they could send an SOS signal.

“The river is a dead end,” Regina said. “The current is too strong to pass, but we don’t want to go around.” She looked at Emma and offered a gentle smile. “I’m sure you two have come to the same conclusion.”

Emma nodded. “Yeah, we just wanted to see the river up close.” God, she really didn’t want to do this, but if they wanted to get across the river they were going to have to work together. “Look. I know it’s a risk but we obviously all want the same thing. If we use ropes and poles we may be able to make it across. I know the currents are strong but the distance to the other side isn’t that far.” She watched as Regina seemed to contemplate the offer.

“Agreed,” the brunette finally said.

“Surely we don’t need to use ropes,” Kayla said. “We can just use the poles and look out for one another.”

“All of the offence Kayla, I don’t trust you. For all I know you’ll use your pole to push me into the river just to get your win.”

August rolled his eyes at the smug look on both of their faces. He knew that Kayla was seriously contemplating the scenario and he knew Emma was picturing the same exact thing, but in reverse order. “This is a competition ladies, not a murder contest.” He gave them both a stern look, or at least he hoped it came across that way. “You guys can plot each other’s murders when we’ve made it across the river. For now, let’s just make some walking sticks.”

Emma let her backpack fall to the ground and stretched her back before looking around for a suitable small tree to help them cross the river. A simple branch wouldn’t do, they needed something sturdy. She eyed a small tree not far from her. “I suppose no one brought an axe?”

Regina reached into her backpack and handed Emma a knife. “This should get the job done.”

Emma whistled through her teeth, “Nice!” The blade felt heavy in her hand and she was glad she wasn’t the one carrying that extra weight with her. Although to be fair, at this point in the competition she probably could. It would be days from now where any unnecessary weight would just slow her down from reaching the landing zone.

She walked over to the small tree and went to work. It took  her several attempts before the tree fell over and she could hack it up in several pieces long enough for them to lean on while crossing the river.

“When are you going fishing?” August said as he sat down on a small rock. “I’m starving.”

“You’re not starving,” Emma said as she panted. Cutting up this tree proved to be hard work and she was already feeling it in every muscle. “You’re just hungry.”

“Same difference,” August said with a shrug.

“Find some berries,” Emma sighed. “We have no time for fishing. I’m sorry.”

August squinted his eyes, something was wrong. Emma was being short with him and that wasn’t like her. Sure, she could be a little bitchy when she got tired, but this… This was something different. “What’s wrong?”

Emma closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head as she opened them again. “That scream. I can’t get it out of my head. What if something happened to them?”

“They knew the risks.”

“So that makes it okay?” She spat out. “Neal knew the risks, he still fucking died and there wasn’t anything anyone could do. Did that make it okay for him to die?”

“No,” August said softly. “But you said it yourself, there wasn’t anything anyone could do. We don’t even know what happened. It may have been nothing.”

“That scream wasn’t nothing.”

August nodded. “Okay. Do you want to go back up the mountain?”

“No. I just…” She trailed off. God. She had promised she would get August home safe, but what if she couldn’t? What if she had put him at risk just like she had with Neal. What if he would die out here, all alone and there was nothing she could do for him? What if history would repeat itself? Her thoughts were interrupted when August spoke up.

“Focus on the task ahead, Emma.”

She nodded quickly. “Yeah. Look, if you’re really hungry ask Regina if she has anything. Maybe she has an energy bar or something for you.”

“Okay.”

She watched him walk off and got to work on hacking off the last part of the tree. The poles seemed sturdy enough, but she knew better than to just rely on them. If they were going to cross they were going to have to be careful, it would do none of them any good if one of them got sucked under by the river and its treacherous movements.

“Three years ago I was doing a survival competition. It wasn’t that far from here.”

Emma looked up in surprise when Regina stood near her and started speaking out of nowhere. She didn’t say anything as Regina continued.

“The weather was… It was almost unbearable. It was snowing and you couldn’t see a thing ahead of you. I was very close to the finish line. I think I was about thirty minutes away when I heard someone scream.”

“So?”

“There wasn’t anything I could do. I didn’t know whether they’d just broken an ankle, whether they fell down the mountain or if something else had happened. The only choice I had was to move on and make sure to report it as soon as I got to the finish line.”

“What happened?”

“Someone died. They found the body a little over a year ago.”

“If that was supposed to make me feel better, you did a crap job,” Emma spat out.

“It wasn’t. But you need to know that whatever that scream was, there’s nothing you can do about it. Going back up the mountain would mean putting your own life at risk. We all knew the risks when we came here, including Frank and Nicole. Whatever has happened… There’s nothing any of us could do.”

Emma snorted, “Great talk, Regina. I feel so much better now.” She knew she was being irrational. Regina didn’t deserve this attitude from her, but something about the woman infuriated her. Perhaps it was the company she kept, all she knew was this… She couldn’t afford to let it consume her, not while they were out here.

“I gave August a protein bar,” Regina said calmly.

“Why?” She was silent for a moment. “I mean, why would you do that? Aside from him being hungry, what’s your play?”

“Because I’m not the person you think I am,” Regina said. With a hint of a smile she walked back over to August and Kayla.

Emma sighed and followed suit, the walking sticks in her arms and passed them around when she reached the other three.

“Now what?” August asked.

“We go slowly. Regina goes first, then Kayla, then you and I will follow last. Watch where you’re stepping, go slow and use the stick to balance yourself. It should help fight the current. We use the rope in case one of us gets pulled under.”

Regina and Kayla nodded as they tied the rope around their waist. With a growl Kayla handed the rope to August who smiled brightly, “Why thank you!”

“Shut up.”

“Nothing like a little river crossing amongst friends,” August murmured.

Emma rolled her eyes as she tied the rope around her waist and nodded to Regina to go. She looked around once more to see none of their belongings were left behind and walked up to the river bank.

“The water is nice and warm,” Regina said as she stepped into the water. “Too bad I didn’t bring my bikini.”

“Now there’s a sight I miss,” Kayla flirted.

When Regina was halfway through the river, Emma finally took her first step into the water. She cursed loudly when the cold water immediately seeped inside her boots. A chill ran down her spine as she stepped further into the water, carefully placing the stick ahead of her as she slowly moved forward. She breathed a sigh of relief when Regina safely made it to other side of the river. One down, three to go, she thought.

Kayla followed suit and Emma looked at August who was nearly there. “Slow and steady,” she reminded him gently.

“Got it.”

Regina reached out with her stick, for August to grab hold on and as he reached out, his footing slipped.

“AUGUST,” Emma yelled as she pulled the rope tightly.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he called back. He regained his footing and grabbed hold of the stick Regina held out to him.

“Goddamn idiot,” Emma murmured. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she exhaled sharply when he reached the other side. It wasn’t long before she finally stepped onto the other side of the river as well and she quickly untied the rope from her waist. “Everyone okay?”

“Just dandy,” Kayla replied.

 

* * *

 

“Told you I’d get you safely there.” Emma smiled brightly when they arrived at Takahula Lake after 70 hours had passed. She high-fived her partner and let her backpack fall down to the ground.

“That was brutal,” August said as he plopped down on the ground next to her and stretched out his legs in front of him. “I’m exhausted.”

“That wasn’t brutal. The brutal part has yet to come,” she said solemnly.

“Just let me believe this was as bad as it’s going to get.”

Emma sighed as she looked around her. Takahula Lake was absolutely gorgeous. From high up on the mountains the lake would have looked like a giant mirror, but down here… The dark blue shade of the water seemed to fit in perfectly with the dark shade of green from the trees. The mountains and the lake almost seemed like a unity, neither one beautiful without the other…. Except, they would be. They were majestic views. Views that no picture of video could ever truly capture, you had to be right there to understand and appreciate the full picture.

It was one of the reasons why she loved doing survival competitions so much. It engaged her every sense and if one of those senses was off, her survival changes diminished quite a lot. Perhaps it was the thrill of it all, the way she could feel the blood run through her veins as she hung from a rock, the way her heart pounded as she abseiled down a mountain or the way the air she breathed always seemed to reinvigorate her. Whatever it was, all of it engaged her, forced her to take in her surroundings, and wherever she was she’d always take a snapshot with her brain and in moments where she needed it the most she would just have to close her eyes to see that picture again. To feel the pure bliss she always felt when she was out here.

“Look.” August interrupted her thoughts.

She smiled brightly when she saw the floatplane heading their way. Part of her was excited to get back so she could take a shower and call Henry, the other part of her wanted to stay out here. That feeling of serenity was so incredibly important to her and she only felt it out here in the mountains and to think that they’d be stuck in a room for the next twenty-four hours or so didn’t seem that appealing to her.

She gladly took the hand that August offered after he had gotten up and groaned when a muscle in her back didn’t agree with that action. Yes, a hot shower was definitely needed.

They boarded the plane and smiled thankfully at Ruby when she handed them an energy bar. It seemed like hours before the other six couples arrived, but she knew it couldn’t have more than half an hour or they would have been left behind.

“Ruby, right?” Emma said as she leaned forward. The aviator nodded and Emma watched as she pressed, what seemed like, a million buttons to get them ready for take-off. “Do you know if Nicole and Frank made it back?”

Ruby shrugged. “I can’t tell you. I’m not allowed.”

“Come on,” Emma pressed. “We heard screams up the mountain. I just want to know if they’re safe.”

“Sorry. I seriously can’t tell you. I’ll lose my job.”

Emma sighed and leaned back in her chair. It would be so easy to get lost in that feeling of dread, but truth be told she had no idea what had happened up in the mountains and it would do her no good to let thoughts of Frank and Nicole consume her.

But when she looked in the tiny mirror and found Ruby’s eyes in there, the lingering look and the smallest shake of her head told her all that she needed to know. She reached out and grabbed August’s hand, lacing their fingers together. He didn’t question it, just squeezed harder and smiled at her. A frown appeared on his face when her eyes watered but she quickly shook her head. She couldn’t talk about it, not here and certainly not now.

Whatever had happened to Frank and Nicole, it wasn’t good and she didn’t want him to worry. She knew how excited August was to have made it home safely and she wanted him to have that euphoric feeling for as long as it was possible. Whatever the news was… it could wait until they were back at the hotel.

She closed her eyes, still holding on tightly to August’s hand as images of Neal’s lifeless eyes penetrated her mind. With a shaky breath she willed those thoughts away. It would do her no good to think about the man that had saved her life and she prayed to whoever could hear her that neither Nicole or Frank would have had to deal with that very same image.


	5. Chapter 5

When they arrived at the hotel, after a long and tiresome journey, Emma pulled August close to her and hugged him tight. Her eyes closed as she breathed in his scent; one that was familiar and made her feel safe. When his arms wrapped tighter around her waist she released a sigh she felt she had held back for months now.

"Talk to me," he said.

"Frank and Nicole. Something is wrong, I can feel it. Ruby wasn't allowed to say anything but I caught her eyes in the mirror, I have seen that look before."

She _had_ seen it before. On dark days she could still see that haunted look reflected back to her in the mirror.

"We have to be at the conference room in an hour," August said as he pulled back from the hug. "Why don't you go take a long shower, try and relax some?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I want to call Henry first."

He nodded. "I'll go take a quick shower then." As he turned to the bathroom he stopped and looked back at her for a moment. "Whatever happened to them...There was nothing any of us could do. There was nothing _you_ could have done." With that he stepped inside the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

Emma run her fingers through her hair and cursed the tears that prickled in her eyes. Her fingers trembled as she got out the cellphone from the drawer besides the bed and dialed Mary's number. It rang twice before the line connected and an excited screech pierced her ears.

"Mom!"

"Hi kid! Oh, I have missed you."

"Did you win? Did August come back with you? Is Regina there?"

Emma smiled as he fired off more questions than she could answer in the short amount of time she would get to talk to him. "Slow down love. We made it back in time to the finish line, yes, but we won't know who won until we talk to the hosts of the competition. And yes, August is safely in the shower, which he badly needed because he smelled!"

Hearing Henry giggle made her feel at ease and she was grateful that her entire body felt more at peace now.

"And yes, Regina is here. In fact, she is going to buy you a present for your birthday when the competition is over."

"Really? Thank you Regina!"

Emma laughed. "I will tell her you said that. How are you doing? Is Aunt Mary behaving?"

Her eyes lit up as Henry told her all about the last couple of days and the shenanigans he and his aunt had gotten up to. Hearing Henry be as enthusiastic as he was gave her renewed energy for the next leg of the competition. Energy she was going to need if they wanted to keep up their chances at winning the competition.

"Aunt Mary wants to talk to you. I love you mom. Go kick some a–"

"Henry," Emma warned as she suppressed a chuckle.

"Kick some butt!"

"Not much better, but I'll accept it. I love you and I cannot wait to see you again. Behave!"

"Love you!"

With that the phone was handed over and Emma smiled when Mary spoke to Henry in hushed tones and the squeal that followed after.

"Hey stranger."

"Tell me you're being a good aunty."

"Only the best. I just told him he could have some popcorn before bedtime, which is his reward for being a good boy these last few days. He's been such a delight. You should be very proud of him."

"I am," Emma said. "Thank you again for taking care of him. I appreciate you more than you'll ever know."

"How has it been so far?"

Emma sighed. "Challenging. Mostly because the hellhound is here and I hate her face. I nearly got into a fight with Regina over her wanting to buy Henry a present. But I fixed that. The competition is tough, but we made it back in time. August is deadbeat tired but he's been amazing. There's just..." she trailed off.

"Emma?"

"Something happened to someone. I'm not sure what though. But I know it's bad. We heard a scream coming from the mountains, two even. We're debriefing in forty-five minutes so I'm sure we'll get the news of what has happened then, but it scares me." She inhaled sharply when Mary was quiet for a while.

"Promise me you'll come home safe."

"I promise."

"Did you know them?"

"Not really. They took the same route as we did, but we were faster than them. I don't want to think about what has happened to them. It gives me too many bad flashbacks of Neal."

"Then focus on your journey, Emma. That may sound harsh, but everyone knew the risks of this competition. For all you know, one of them just broke a leg. They could be fine."

"Yeah," Emma said as she stared out the window pensively. She knew they weren't fine, could feel it in every fiber of her bones. "I have to go though, August just got out of the shower and I am in desperate need of a hot shower myself. He'll want to use my phone to call the hubby anyway. Thank you again for taking Henry."

"Hey Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

With that she hung up the phone and handed it over to August who smiled at her.

"Everyone okay at the home front?"

She nodded and excused herself. She grabbed a towel that lay neatly folded on the edge of her bed and walked into the bathroom. Her eyes rolled at the amount of sand that lay on the bathroom floor. As she stripped off her clothes she chuckled at the amount of sand and small twigs that came from underneath her own clothing.  Walking through a forest like they had, always ensured that half of the forest became stowaways in the clothing one was wearing.

She looked at the reflection in the mirror and groaned. These last few days had certainly taken a toll on her and while being out in nature was something she thoroughly enjoyed, she had been immensely looking forward to the hot shower she was about to take. Soon the entire bathroom was filled with nothing but steam coming from the hot shower and she let out a small moan when the first water drops hit her shoulders. She stood there for a minute of five with her eyes closed as she listened to the water clatter on the floor, Frank and Nicole now far from her mind.

Another fifteen minutes passed before she felt she had cleaned herself up nice enough to get out from under the shower. She wrapped the towel around her now dry body and picked up a hairbrush. This was her absolute least favorite part, there would be knots galore in her hair after not having brushed it for two days.

She opened the bathroom door when she was done and walked into the room.

"Jesus Christ Emma!"

"What?"

"Get dressed!"

She chuckled as she looked down. The towel had been wrapped around her waist, which gave August a perfect view of her upper body. Well, her naked upper body. She had never been ashamed of her body and with August being gay she felt utterly comfortable to be naked around him. Something he obviously wasn't, so she grabbed a sweatshirt and put it on.

"Better?"

"Much," he nodded.

"They're just breasts you know..."

"I'm pretty sure you wouldn't appreciate a full body shot of me either."

"Point taken." She turned away from him and got fully dressed before throwing the towel in the direction of the bathroom.

"Slob."

"How's the hubby?"

"Fine," August sighed. "Doesn't miss me at all. The dogs keep him entertained."

Emma glanced at the clock and sighed. "We should go downstairs."                                                                       

                                                                                 

* * *

 

Emma sat on the edge of her seat, one hand resting on August's knee as they waited for Greg to give them the results of the first leg. She kept glancing to the other side of the room where Kayla seemed to have almost a dead like grip on Regina and she rolled her eyes. Whatever their issue was, it wasn't hers to solve, nor hers to worry about. In fact, all she was worried about was Frank and Nicole. She cared little for the results of the first leg, they hardly mattered anyway. There were still so many legs ahead of them, winning the first leg would only give her false confidence that she didn't have to try as hard on the other legs. Despite that, she still wanted to win, for August. At least, that's what she kept telling herself. For August. Beating Kayla had absolutely nothing to do with it.

She fidgeted in her seat when August poked her in between the ribs. "Will you calm down?"

"I can't help it. I need to know."

August was about to reply when Greg tapped the microphone and caught everyone's attention. He smiled somberly as his eyes scanned over the room. "Good evening folks. First of all, congratulations to all of you for making it through the first leg. As some of you may have already noticed, there are several couples missing tonight." He took a deep breath and sighed. "Hosting these events are never easy, especially when you have to deliver bad news. As all of you are aware, signing up for this competition comes with certain risks. Risks that make you all incredibly brave for competing in the first place."

"Fuck," Emma whispered. She looked at August with a pleading look and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"There is no easy way to say this. So I'm just going to say it. Earlier today Nicole sadly passed away high up in the mountains." He paused when several gasps were heard throughout the other competitors. "From what we understand, Nicole slipped near a ravine and fell down. The impact of that fall killed her instantly. Frank is alive but has been taken to a trauma centrum where he is being treated for the injuries that he sustained while trying to climb down to her." He took a deep breath and ran a hand over his nearly bald head. "Nicole was brave for signing up for this competition and it's incredibly sad that an accident ended her life the way it did. A search team has been tasked with retrieving her body and the organizers of this event have decided to set up a fund in hopes to help pay for the funeral."

"So, who won?"

Greg furrowed his brows as he looked in the direction of who asked the question. "Kayla, correct?" When she nodded, he scraped his throat. "As I was saying we have set up a fund and we encourage all of you to make a contribution to it. I have to say that I am disappointed that in a time like this, people are still more concerned about who won rather than mourn the death of a mother who leaves behind two kids."

A small smile spread on his face when the other competitors clapped and he held up a hand. "The Alaskan Experience has decided that we will offer refunds to anyone who decides to leave the competition at this point. Sometimes it takes a tragedy like this to make us aware of the risks that are involved. Should you choose to leave the competition, please remember that you didn't fail. There is no shame in admitting that your life matters more than the risks that come with this competition. That being said, I would like to give you the results now of the first leg."

"Poor Frank," Emma murmured as she wiped away a tear that had roll down her cheek. "Nicole didn't deserve that. And two kids? It's horrible." She nestled herself tighter into August's arms as he tried his best to offer her some comfort.

"Three teams have been disqualified from the competition for not reaching Takahula Lake in time. Due to what happened earlier today, we have made contact with all of these teams and all of them are safe and will be coming home tomorrow. That just leaves us with the winners of the first leg of The Alaskan Experience." He paused for a moment before finding the winning couple in the crowd. "Samuel and Tom, our sincere congratulations! You managed to beat every other team out of the water by arriving six hours before the deadline."

Emma watched as Samuel stood up, his expression nothing but utterly sad.

"If the competition would allow for it, Tom and I would like to ask that nobody be declared a winner this leg, in honor of Nicole. There are still nine legs to go and winning this leg... it only feels like a humongous loss to our community." His words won him a round of applause and Greg nodded.

"I think that's a very brave and honorable decision. We accept your proposal and will reset the scores. That means that starting from tomorrow everyone starts with a clean slate. Thank you Samuel."

Samuel nodded and sat down, graciously accepting the pats on the shoulder he got from the people around him.

"As I said before, hosting this competition can be...well, sometimes it just sucks. There are still fifteen teams in the race to be announced the winner of The Alaskan Experience. We urge you once more to take extreme caution while you're out there. Tomorrow at eight A.M. we meet outside of the hotel, and we will bring you to the next location. See this next leg as a fresh start, and please... Consider making a donation in Nicole's honor."

"I can't believe she's actually gone," August said as people started to roam around the room.

"August. If you want to leave, we will. I do not want to pressure you into continuing if you feel like your life is on the line."

"No way," he said. "I know I'm safe with you. I mean, what happened today was a tragic accident and I suppose it could happen to any of us, but I want to finish this."

"Are you absolutely sure?" When he nodded, Emma ran a hand through her still damp hair. "Okay. Let's go over to Greg. I want to make a donation to the fund."

                                                                                                     

* * *

 

"That was a very generous thing you did back there," Regina said when she finally got Samuel's attention. "You are a good man."

"Thank you, little bird. I know we're all aware of the risks involved, but it wouldn't feel right to see this as a win when a life was so tragically lost today."

"People with children shouldn't sign up for this competition."

Samuel regarded Kayla with a curious look. "Perhaps us parents are selfish for signing up for this, knowing at any point we could die. But we could also die in a car accident or simply while crossing the road. Either way, you are being disrespectful to Nicole and I will not stand for it." He smiled at Regina. "Remember what I said earlier, Regina."

She nodded and gave him a quick hug and watched as Samuel and Tom left the room.

"What did he say earlier?"

Regina swallowed thickly. "Just to be careful." She had never lied to Kayla like that before. But she knew that repeating Samuel's words to her partner would only result in a major fight. Something she wasn't in the mood for. "I think I would like to go back upstairs now."

Kayla nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Look at it this way, four couples down, fifteen more to go."

Regina looked up at Kayla with a horrified expression. She shook her head when Kayla didn't notice it and wondered when exactly her partner had turned into the monster that was currently smiling as if she'd won the lottery. Nicole's death had affected her in ways she could never disclose to Kayla. She would call her weak for wanting to mourn the woman she didn't even know. Perhaps she was. Being with Kayla made her question a lot of things about herself, her self-esteem often being the victim of those questions. There was one thing she absolutely knew for sure though... If Kayla kept up her current behavior, she would soon be a single woman.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sincere apologies for the amount of time it took me to update this fic. I promise I haven't abandoned it.


	6. Into The Belly of The Beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See. I haven't forgotten about this story. 
> 
> (Also, tiny note. Regina in this story is slightly OC. I realize this. She's also a woman who has gone through emotional abuse. And IN this AU, it makes sense for her to be the way she is.)

Emma solemnly shook her head as she looked around her. Ten couples were still in the race to win, the other couples had all dropped out after the news of Nicole's death the night before.

She still felt sad about it, despite not knowing Nicole that well. But, she knew exactly what Frank was going through in this moment and _god_ did it ever hurt. Still, she couldn't allow herself to think about it too much. She was responsible to ensure that she and August would make it to the landing zone safely and that meant completely disregarding any sadness she felt. It would just distract her.

"You know the drill," Greg said, looking around. "Seventy-two hours. It's about 35 miles to the LZ." He snapped his fingers when a man started talking over him. "Pay attention. This is important. As you're all aware by now, you're at the Bear Highway. I cannot express again how important safety is. Everyone got a weapon in case of any bear attacks?"

The group nodded and Emma sighed with relief. Her own gun was buried deep within her backpack, but August's rifle hang over his shoulder. She despised the weapons, even though she knew how necessary they were.

Bear Highway got its name after the immense population of bears that resided here. Over two-thousand brown bears were waiting for them and the chances of an attack were high. They were right into the belly of the beast.

The land they stood on was completely barren. A wasteland also known as The Valley of A Thousand Smokes. They would start off from the Volcanic Valley that had erupted a hundred years ago and make their way to Katmai Bay.

Beneath her feet was nothing but land covered in ashes and, aside from the tiny oasis ahead, it was completely devoid of life. Well, aside from those bears that were waiting for them. She knew no matter what route they would take, every step would have to a carefully executed one.

She took the map that was handed to her and listened to Greg's final instructions.

"I know that most of you are still in shock over what happened. You cannot afford to let it distract you. Nicole wouldn't have wanted that and neither does Frank. I expect each and every one alive in 72 hours. I hope that's clear."

Several heads nodded and Greg clapped his hands together.

"As this is the Bear Highway, you're allowed to team up. Your GPS location will be tracked and whether you're in a group or not, your location and time at the landing zone will allot for your scores." He looked around the group and nodded once. "Good luck, you have thirty minutes to prepare and then you're off."

Emma took August by the arm and took him aside. She was shivering from the cold and blew into her hands to warm herself up.

"Any route preferences?"

She opened the map and let August look at it. Her own preference was to go towards the east, even though it would add an extra seven miles to their trip, it was the safest route for them to take. She had no interest whatsoever in a bear encounter and going East would give them their best shot to avoid the bears.

"Safest route would be east, right?" August looked up at her and at her nod looked down at the map again.

"Oh my god," Emma gasped. She smacked August in the shoulder harder than she intended to and dragged him to his feet. "What the fuck is _she_ doing?"

August looked over to where Emma was pointing and hissed. "What in the actual fuck?"

A mere 200 feet away Kayla had held a lighter to map and as it went up in flames, she grinned wickedly.

As Emma moved forward, August pulled her back. "Don't. It's not worth it."

"I don't care," she growled. With quick steps she took Regina by the arm and pulled her away from Kayla, who was entirely too enthralled by the flames coming from the map.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

With a panicked look Regina couldn't manage more than a shrug. "I–I don't know. She said it would be more adventurous to make our own route."

"You're going to _die_ out there without a map."

"That's not true," Regina spat back. "I know where to go."

"Be that as it may, what happens when you can't see a damn thing and you have no reference points?"

"Fuck." Regina exhaled and buried her hands into her hair. "I don't know. I didn't want this."

Emma knew she was telling the truth. The more attention she paid to the relationship between Kayla and Regina, the more she was convinced that Regina had actually little to say about anything. It saddened and angered her. Why in the world would someone as smart as Regina let another woman walk all over her like that?

"You can't go out there without a map, Regina. You can't."

Henry would kill if she let Regina go out there on her own. Not to mention that the last she wanted was for Greg to announce Regina's death in a couple of days. Kayla's? Sure, she didn't care. She could drop dead right here on the spot and she'd literally dance on her grave. But Regina? No, Henry would be utterly disappointed in her and probably never speak to her again.

"I don't know what to do," Regina admitted.

Emma growled. _Fucking Kayla._ "We'll go with you."

Regina frowned. "No way. You hate Kayla and she despises you. She won't let you."

"She has little say in the situation," Emma spat. "We'll keep our distance, but there's no way I'm letting you go out there without a map."

"Why do you even care?"

It was a fair question and one Emma didn't even know the answer too.

"You owe Henry a birthday present," she finally said before walking away.

She pulled August aside once more. "We're not going east."

It saddened her that he didn't even question her, the last thing she wanted was for August to be in any danger and her decision would do exactly that.

"I'm sor–"

"Don't," he said, holding up his hand. "I would be far more disappointed in you if you'd had let Regina go out there without a map. Kayla, I would get. Regina? I wouldn't. You're doing the right thing."

Emma nodded. "Thank you."

Despite doing the right thing, she couldn't help but think she was going to end up regretting her decision within the end of the day.

                                                           

* * *

 

 

"Why," Kayla huffed, "are those assholes following us?"

"They're not." Regina loudly clapped her hands together and made as much noise as she possible could. It was an exhausting thing to do, but as they were moving along an area with many bushes, she knew the loud noise would scare the bears off or at least let them know they were human and not prey.

They're progress was extremely slow, moving at a tempo that allowed them to constantly look at their surroundings. She estimated that they'd been walking for about six hours and aside from a mini break, she didn't want to stop until they found shelter for the night. She wanted to set camp while there was still daylight and that light would be gone in about an hour. There would be a good eight hours where the world would be completely engulfed in darkness and she didn't want to  put anyone in danger by setting their camp up near any bear tracks.

The bear tracks scared the living daylight out of her. Earlier she had placed her hand on one of the fresh tracks that a bear had left behind and its paw was enormous.

Hiking anywhere near bears was always terrifying, but actually being right into the belly of the best was just horrific. This was their territory and she was but a mere guest among them. She needed to respect their habitat and not in any way disturb it.

"We should set up camp around here," she murmured.

"We can go further."

Regina groaned. "No. We can't. Daylight will be gone soon and I don't want to set up in the dark. It's too dangerous. These tracks here are older, it would be safest to set up here."

The scolding glare she got in return made her cower, but she stood her ground. She added a please in hopes of it being enough to avoid a fight.

With a long sigh Kayla finally nodded and let her backpack fall to the ground. Regina followed along and glanced behind her to see what Emma and August would do. Part of her hoped they would join their camp and part of her was too exhausted to deal with Kayla's undoubtedly objection to it.

The only thing that might stop Kayla from bitching about were the other two couples that were following Emma and August. Even from here she could see that Emma was exhausted and hesitant about where to set up camp. Finally, she saw Emma straighten her shoulders as they approached closer.

Regina wasn't sure what it was that soared through her body. Perhaps it was relief that she wouldn't be out here alone with Kayla. She didn't want to think about it anymore than was necessary and what was necessary now was setting up their tent as quickly as possible.

"Hey."

Regina nodded, unable to speak as she glanced towards Kayla. Emma's eyebrows were raised and she quickly shook her head, hoping it would convey what she was trying to say without actually having to say it.

"We're setting up with you guys," Emma said, leaving no room for objections.

"Like hell you are," Kayla responded.

Regina sighed. _So much for no objections._

"Kayla," she started, but the hand that was firmly placed on her shoulder and squeezed entirely too hard made her close her mouth again.

"Look," Emma started. "I don't like this any better than you do, but we're right fucking smack in the middle of god knows how many bears. We can sleep in turns, look out for each other. But to be fair, if you're gonna put a fight, I might actually guide bear towards you to let it maul your face off."

Regina hid a smile and focused on her task of setting the tent up.

"Whatever," Kayla said. She looked at Emma, then August and back at Emma again, seemingly contemplated whose company she could deal with better during the night. She whispered something in Regina's ear who looked up in surprise and nodded.

"We'll take first watch," Regina finally said. "We being you and me, Emma."

Emma seemed to be as surprised as she was. "Fine by me."

With that, they both focused on their individual tasks and not long after Emma disappeared in the tent she had set up for her and August.

"In here."

Regina rolled her eyes. There was only one thing she hated than being summoned and that was being summoned by Kayla. Still, she moved down to crouch and got into the tent. As soon as she sat down on her sleeping mat, Kayla grabbed her by the arm, forcing her to look at her.

"Don't you get any ideas about Emma. The only reason I'm letting you stay up with her is because if I stay up with her, I'll shoot her right in that ugly head of hers."

"Enough," Regina bellowed. She immediately shut her mouth and tried to duck out of the way when Kayla's hand made contact with her cheek.

"Don't," Kayla growled, "you ever and I mean _ever_ speak to me in such a manner again. Understood?"

Regina couldn't speak, the sting on her cheek made her eyes water.

"I said," Kayla started as she grabbed Regina by the arm once more. "Is that understood?"

Regina nodded and when Kayla moved away with a smile on her face, she quickly wiped away the tear that rolled down her cheek. Kayla had never hit her before and she was too shocked to say anything about it. Sure, Kayla could rough handle her at times, but those were times where she could see how she'd deserved it. But this? This was new and quite honestly, Regina wanted nothing more in that moment but to go home.

"Sleep well." her voice quivered before she moved out of the tent and closed the zipper shut.

It was going to be a long, long night.

                                                           

* * *

 

 

"What the fuck was that," Emma whispered as she looked at August.

Both of them had heard the way Regina had raised her voice and the deafening silence that had followed.

"I don't know," August said, turning in for the night. "Don't get involved, Emma. Please."

Emma shook her head. "Course not. I'm not stupid."

She ran a hand through her hair. Surviving Alaska seemed to come with a whole lot more than just surviving the actual environment. She was emotionally exhausted and they still had eight legs to go after this one. For a moment she contemplated how it would feel to drop out, go home and cuddle her not-so-little boy for days on end. She couldn't. Henry would be disappointed in her, but not as much as she would be in herself. No. She was going to make it to end no matter what. She had promised him and she never broke a promise.

"G'night," she murmured to a sleepy silhouette. "I'll wake you in four hours." With that she crawled out of the tent and stood up straight, her spine popping with every movement she made.

Thankful for the fire that was already lit several hundred feet away from the tents, she walked over and sat down on the ground next to Regina, two energy bars stored deep in her pockets. She was too tired to go through the hassle of cooking food, not to mention the idea of bears smelling the food and coming to check her out, scared her shitless.

"You okay," she asked as she looked sideways. _So much for not getting involved._

"'I'm fine."

Emma knew that tone well. It meant, 'shut up and don't speak to me'. It was a tone she heard many times before from Regina's significant other. She let out a long breath and reached into her pocket.

"What?"

"You can't possible eat that for dinner," Regina pointed out. "You need energy."

"Yeah well, that's why they call it an energy bar."

Regina huffed, reaching into her backpack and got out a dried meal. She removed the oxygen absorber from inside the pouch and added hot water to it, stirred and closed the bag again.

"Hope you like chicken korma and rice," she said.

"Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

Regina shrugged and placed her head on top of her knees.

Emma was completely at a loss of what to say. To say that Regina looked upset would be an understatement and no matter what, Emma wasn't a heartless human being. She might not have cared about Regina as much, but she hated seeing people in pain and Regina? Well, she was obviously in pain.

"So," she said, warming her hands by the fire. "What are you gonna get for Henry.

_Bingo_. She knew that would work and she was thankful to see a small smile play on Regina's lips.

"I was going to talk to you about it first," Regina said. "You can say no, obviously. My father gave me a Swiss Army Knife when I was younger. I'd like for Henry to have it?"

Emma frowned, not quite understanding. "You want Henry to have your father's knife? Don't you want to give that your own kids?"

Regina sighed and Emma was afraid she'd said too much.

"I don't...I mean, I can't."

Emma cocked her head to the side. "You can't what?"

"Have kids," Regina spat out. She immediately apologized and hugged her knees tighter to her. "I can't have kids."

"Regina, I'm–"

"Don't."

Emma inhaled sharply. She scolded herself for even asking, not wanting to add to the pain Regina was already in.

"I'm sure he would love it," she finally said.

With that, Regina perked up and looked at her for the first time. "Really?"

Emma nodded then frowned. She resisted the urge to reach out with a hand, the bruise on Regina's face visible even in the dim light of the fire.

"Kayla do that?"

"It was an accident."

_Oh god._ Accident? It was abuse served on a platter. She closed her eyes tightly shut, the urge to barge into Kayla's tent and murder her, entirely too strong.

"I know it's none of my business, but–"

"You're right," Regina whispered. "It's none of your business."

"Regina!"

Emma was frustrated and Regina's name fell from her lips much sharper than she had intended to. When Regina flinched, Emma immediately apologized.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. Whether it's my business or not, that woman is abusing you, why can't you see that?"

"Don't you think I know that," Regina hissed. "This trip has made me painfully aware of that. But, there's nothing I can do about it now."

Emma contemplated Regina's words.

"I'm not beyond murder," she finally said.

Regina sighed. "I'm sure Henry would love to visit you in jail as he grows up."

"Low blow," Emma murmured. Not that she didn't deserve it, but still, it was a low blow. One she would have expected from Kayla but not Regina.

She hated feeling absolutely helpless like this. As much as she disliked Regina, seeing her treated the way she was, had awoken something in her and while she had no idea what it was, it came with an almost unbearable urge to protect Regina from that hellhound that lay in the tent, probably peacefully sleeping the night away.

"Fine. I'll wake up August and we'll wake up our stuff. You can come with us."

Regina laughed. Really laughed and _god_ it hurt. That laugh was sinister, cruel, evil and mean and yet, it settled itself deep within Emma's stomach.

"I'm not gonna leave her behind. I'm sure she was just tired and latched out."

"Latched out?" Emma threw up her hands. "Smacking your partner in the face isn't latching out, Regina. It's abuse."

Regina ignored her and pointed towards the satchel of food instead. "Eat."

Neither of them spoke as they ate. The hot meal was exactly what Emma needed, but she was too stubborn to admit it. No matter how hard she tried to help Regina, she was met with resistance at every turn. So why in the world had she come after Regina?

She knew the answer. Of course she did. She also chose to ignore the answer. It was ridiculous.

"You're not some savior, Emma," Regina finally said. "You can't save me from this. From her."

"Maybe not, but I'll be damned if she ever lays a hand on you again. I promise you that."

Emma frowned when Regina didn't respond, scared she had said too much.

"Fuck it," she said before reaching out and pulling Regina into a hug, who immediately started sobbing.

"Ssh," Emma whispered as she stroked Regina's back with her free hand. "You're going to be okay. I won't let anything happen to you. I've got you."

She kept whispering the same words over and over until Regina's sobs quieted down and she pulled back from the hug. She knew they would never speak about it again, not as long as they were out here anyway. Distraction was what was needed and distraction was what she was going to give, at least for the next two hours.

"I forgot Henry's birthday," she quietly admitted. "It was his tenth birthday and I forgot. Not that he minded, of course, 'cuz he's an angel like that," she quickly added. "He just jumped into bed, was sad for all but two seconds and then moved on enjoying his present. We cuddled and went to the movies and had his favorite dinner."

"He's a good kid," was all Regina said.

"True." She contemplated her next words carefully. "Maybe once all this is over and August and I are declared the winners, you could come over for dinner. I'm sure Henry would be absolutely delighted to see you."

"Fat chance that you'll win," Regina pointed out. "But, I'd love to come for dinner."

"Just don't–"

"I'll leave Kayla at home, promise."

"So hey," Emma began. "You probably don't know this, but Henry once managed to disappear for a good three hours within the apartment. Wanna know how he pulled that off?"

Regina smiled genuinely and nodded.

                                                           

* * *

 

 

"My fucking ass is frozen."

Emma grinned and shoved her elbow up August's ribs. "Would you like me to warm it up for you?"

They had been walking for the past four hours and she was absolutely exhausted. Last night had drained from any emotions she had left and she had barely slept, her gaze constantly aimed toward the tent where Kayla kept watch over her sleeping partner. Twice, she had reached into her backpack and immediately dismissed her brilliant idea to shoot her through the fabric of the tent.

When she finally did fall asleep it had seemed as if August had woken up her immediately. As she got out of the tent she was met with nothing but fog engulfing them and she gave herself silent praise for offering to go with Regina. There was absolutely nothing surrounding them that would have guided Regina and Kayla towards the LZ and she knew that without her... they'd have gotten completely lost.

"This rain–"

"FUCK."

Two things happened simultaneously. Out of nowhere a bear appeared and instinctively her hand reached out to stop Regina who was but a few steps behind her. The fog had convinced even Kayla that they'd be better off sticking close together.

"Don't run," Emma said, her voice as calm as she could.

The bear was perhaps a hundred feet away and they all stood there as if they were frozen in time. And for once, even Kayla didn't have any smart remarks to make.

"Okay, back up, slowly, wave your arms around," Emma said, her instincts taking over. "He's definitely seen us."

The bear took slow steps forward, cocking his massive head to the side, as if he was sizing them up for his next meal.

Emma's heart was pounding her chest. She had never seen a bear this up close and no matter how prepared she thought she was, it still scared her enough to almost, _almost_ shit her pants. The beast was an absolute giant, majestic, but giant.

"Oh shit," Emma said as the bear stood on its two hind legs. She tried to remember the lesson Neal had taught her.

_Don't run. Wave your arms. Make as much sound as you can. If he charges, it will be a fake attack at first. Don't run. Whatever you, do not run._

"Don't run," she said again. She waved her arms in the air and all of them started making as much noise as they could before the bear finally settled down on all four and went on his merry way.

"Bloody hell," August said, as he bend over to catch his breath.

"We need to go around," Emma said, her survival instincts still going strong. "It'll add to our time but if he turns around we're fucked."

"He won't turn around."

Emma shut her eyes and inhaled sharply. She let out the breath with a deep growl before turning around.

"Do you wanna die today?"

"Not particularly."

"Then shut your fucking mouth and go around before I call him back here to maul your ass to pieces."

For once, Kayla stood there, speechless, something Emma counted as a small victory before moving towards the tree line, still making as much noise as she could. She didn't look behind her, she didn't want to care whether they followed her or not. If Kayla wanted to die she could stand there and get fucked. But she knew, she knew they would follow, if she would just keep walking.

And they did.

                                                                     

* * *

 

 

Regina breathed a sigh of relief as they approached the LZ. It didn't surprise her to see Samuel and his son were already there, along with two other couples who had split from their own group before they settled that night when–

She didn't want to think about. Kayla had acted the next day as if nothing had happened and she hadn't dared to bring it up, afraid she would repeat her earlier actions.

"How the fuck did they get there before us?"

"They probably went straight through. Dangerous, but effective."

"You have to do better on the next leg, Regina. This is unacceptable."

A lot of was unacceptable in Kayla's eyes. The way Regina spoke, the way she navigated them to safety and the way she interacted with Emma. Nothing was good enough for Kayla and to be honest, she was damn tired of it all.

The only one who had been of any use to her this particularly leg had been Emma.

_Emma_.

God. Emma had done exactly as she had promised. She had kept Regina safe from any bear attacks and she had no doubt in her mind that she would also have kept her safe from Kayla if it had been necessary.

As they got closer to the others, Kayla immediately walked away from her to talk to the other couples, no doubt wanting to impress them with her own bear encounter version of events.

It was Samuel who frowned and got up and walked up to Regina. She was too embarrassed to face him.

"Little bird," he said as he reached out and gently cupped her face. "Kayla is not good for you. You're not safe with her."

"I know," she said. She swallowed down the tears that wanted to burst out of her eyes. "I know."

Samuel nodded and guided her towards the warm fire. He took her backpack from her and glanced over at Kayla.

"Please," Regina pleaded. "Don't. I'll deal with it."

Samuel nodded, before sitting down next to her, protecting her from any harm. For the first time since Emma had hugged her, she felt safe again.

                                                             

* * *

 

 

Emma groaned as she sat down in the chair in the conference room. At this point she'd much prefer a warm bed, but she was equally excited to hear the results, despite knowing they wouldn't have placed first. She had tried to do the math to see where they'd gone wrong, but no matter how hard she tried, the bear encounter was not enough to account for them not placing first.

She simply would have to do better during the next leg. They would have to up the pace and rest significantly less in order to beat Samuel and his son if they ever wanted to have a win.

The win didn't matter, it was the fact that two teams had placed before them that mattered. Those teams were newbies and there was no way in hell that she was gonna allow them to beat her again. In the end the only thing that mattered was the amount of time they spend to get to the LZ and they simply hadn't done enough this leg to secure a place in the top three.

Then again, neither did Regina and Kayla. A small victory.

"Samuel, you successfully led three teams to the LZ with three hours to spare. That means you're now in first place. Congratulations," Greg said. He looked around the room, seemingly grinning at the exhausted faces that looked back at him.

"There's no rest day tomorrow."

The group groaned and he laughed.

"We meet at 8 AM and what can I say to prepare you for this next leg? Ice, ice baby."

Emma's hand placed itself on top of August's knee.

"We're gonna win this fucker if it's the last thing I do," she whispered before looking over at Regina.

Ever since they got back, Regina had gone out of her way to avoid Emma, something she had expected but it still hurt nonetheless. She had no idea what was going through Regina's mind, but she couldn't exactly blame her for the avoidance. Regina would have a lot to think about tonight and she wouldn't want to be in her shoes.

Still, in this competition, Regina was her enemy.

Outside of this competition?

Regina was the one she was madly in love with.

_Fuck._

 

 


End file.
